Brazilian Architect Oscar Niemeyer Dies

Legendary Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer died on Wednesday in a Rio de Janeiro hospital at the age of 104.  He had been hospitalized since early November due to kidney and stomach ailments, and he passed away as a result of complications from a lung infection.

A disciple of the famed French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier, Niemeyer became one of the word’s best-known modern architects.  His career spanned across nine decades and included designing over 600 buildings such as the U.N. Secretariat in New York.

In 1940, then-Belo Horizonte mayor Juscelino Kubitschek commissioned Niemeyer to design an “architectural complex” for a new suburb entitled Pampulha.  This project served as a predecessor for a more ambitious plan presented to Niemeyer by President Kubitschek in 1958 to design a new capital city.

Thus was born Niemeyer’s masterpiece, which were his space-age designs for dozens of government structures that make up Brasilia.  The city, which was inaugurated in 1960, featured such bold and futuristic edifices like the National Congress, the National Museum and the Cathedral of Brasilia.  It was this last building containing its "Crown of Thorns" cupola that helped Niemeyer earn the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1988.

According to BBC News, Niemeyer’s inspiration came from a unique source:

Daily Headlines: October 18, 2012

* Chile: The Supreme Court allegedly approved the extradition an ex-U.S. Navy Captain accused of the 1973 deaths of journalist Charles Horman and student Frank Teruggi,
 
* Cuba: Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro congratulated a Cuban medical clinic in his first public statement in almost four months.

* Brazil: 104-year-old architect Oscar Niemeyer, renown for his designs of several futuristic buildings in Brasilia, was hospitalized and is reportedly in stable condition.
 
* Argentina: The Senate passed a bill supported by President Cristina Fernandez to lower the age of voting from 18 to 16.

Video Source – YouTube via user Antoniopost (Clip from “Missing,” a 1981 film on the 1973 disappearance of U.S. journalist Charles Horman during the Chilean dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet).
 
Online Sources- Huston Chronicle, Businessweek, Huffington Post, euronews

Daily Headlines: September 13, 2010

* Brazil: One of Latin America’s top architects, Brazilian Oscar Niemeyer, received Spain's Arts and Letters medal last Friday.

* Uruguay: Soccer matches nationwide were suspended over the weekend due to the tragic death of defender Diego Rodriguez.

* Chile: Four legislators have joined 34 Mapuche inmates in a hunger strike against alleged government repression.

* U.S.: A federal appeals court voided an anti-immigration law in the Pennsylvania town of Hazelton that was opposed by local Latino activists.

Image – EFE (Spanish culture minister Ángeles González-Sinde gave Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer one of her country’s top arts awards).
Online Sources- Yahoo! Eurosport, Reuters, MSNBC, USA TODAY

Arte Para Todos: Oscar Niemeyer

Oscar Niemeyer is undoubtedly Brazil’s most famous architect and one of the premier architects from Latin America.

The 102-year-old is the mind behind some awe-inspiring, modernist edifices including several futuristic-looking buildings in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia and the unique U.N. Headquarters in New York. One of his latest projects will be on display at Carnaval this weekend: the central avenue of Rio’s Sambodromo. He has received global recognition for his work including the 1988 Pritzker Architecture Prize.

In the video below, Niemeyer discusses the inspiration behind the designs of Brasilia and how his innovations were not always smiled upon:

Online Sources- YouTube, Arcspace, AFP

Daily Headlines: November 23, 2009

* Puerto Rico: Vigils were held over the weekend in New York, San Fransisco, and other parts of the U.S. in memory of a gay Puerto Rican teen recently murdered in a homophobic attack.

* Argentina: The country’s legislature overwhelmingly backed a proposal that would permit obligatory extraction of DNA from “Dirty War” orphans.

* Cuba: A former State Department official and his wife pled guilty in a U.S. federal court to charges of spying for the Cuban government.

* Brazil: Renowned Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer has reportedly returned to work over a month after being hospitalized for surgery and only weeks before his 102nd birthday.

Image – CNN (“Police say the body of Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado, 19, had been decapitated, dismembered and partially burned.”)
Online Sources- examiner.com, AP, BBC News, MSNBC, The Latin Americanist, WPIX

Daily Headlines: October 1, 2009

* Honduras: Several business and political leaders are trying to push a compromise plan to break the Honduran stalemate, while U.S. Congresswoman and pro-Micheletti backer Ileana Ros-Lehtinen will travel to Honduras next week.

* Peru: No deaths or major damage have been reported from a magnitude 5.9 quake that shook southeastern Peru and part of Bolivia.

* Cuba: Fewer Cuban migrants are said to be leaving the island to the U.S. not only through the traditional route via Caribbean waters but also by land via Mexico.

* Brazil: Famed 101-year-old architect Oscar Niemeyer is in delicate heath after undergoing his second colon surgery in a week.

Image- AP (“Riot police walk toward supporters of Honduras' ousted President Manuel Zelaya during a protest in Tegucigalpa, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009.”)
Online Sources- ABC News, Reuters, Miami Herald, AFP, csmonitor.com

Video of the Day: Oscar Niemeyer – Architectural genius

This Saturday will be the 100^th birthday of famed Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. He is best known for his design of numerous buildings in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia during the 1960s. Niemeyer has also been the brains behind edifices outside of Brazil such as the French Communist Party Headquarters and the Penang State Mosque in Malaysia.

In a 2006 interview, Niemeyer explained the impetus behind his architectural visions:

“I sought to make an architecture that I think should be done, a thing that creates surprise,” he said. “Even the poorest person, who doesn’t have conditions to enjoy architecture, stops for a moment in front of a new building and is surprised, is filled with a certain emotion.”

Below is the trailer of a 2007 documentary on Niemeyer entitled “Oscar Niemeyer- A Vida É Um Sopro”. It shows several of the buildings he designed and touches on his love for his native Rio de Janeiro.

(Video link):

Sources- International Herald Tribune, arcspace.com, Wikipedia, PopMatters, YouTube