Oscar Niemeyer (1907 - 2012)

A sad farewell to iconic Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, who passed away in Rio de Janeiro yesterday just a few days before his 105th birthday, leaving a rich and unique architectural legacy in his home country and around the world.
We met with the design legend during our Born in Brazil adventure two years ago and looked with admiration at his seminal projects in Brasilia, where he masterminded landmark governmental, residential and cultural buildings, such as the Cathedral of Brasilia, the country's National Congress and the National Theatre.
His work, such as the Ravello auditorium in Italy, his prefabricated schools across Brazil, his complex at Ibirapuera Park in Sao Paulo and his Cultural Centre at Goiania - awarded Best Public Building in the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2007 - was immensely influential on the global architecture scene, defined 20th century Brazilian architecture, and frequently graced the pages of wallpaper*. Niemeyer was the last of the great Modernists and he will always be cited among the last century's most important architects.
To celebrate the life and legacy of Niemeyer, Wallpaper* has produced a 28-page tribute to the architect to go with our February issue. Buy a copy of our February issue or download the iPad edition to see more
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Orlando Museum of Art wants to showcase more Latin American and Hispanic artists. Do you fit the bill?
The Florida gallery calls for for Hispanic and Latin American artists to submit their work for an ongoing exhibition
-
This spa in the Riviera Maya stays open until midnight. Here’s what happens after dark
Rosewood Mayakoba’s Akbal Series proposes a new kind of night out
-
Two new villas extend Christian Louboutin’s exuberant Portuguese hotel
A pink, kasbah-inspired residence and a whitewashed boathouse join the French shoe designer’s Vermelho Hotel in Melides, Alentejo
-
A rammed-earth house near Brasília pairs the traditional technique with contemporary forms
Valéria Gontijo + Architects has completed Casa Tapia, pairing earthy tones and natural materials with refined design and a generous floorplan
-
This cinematic home in Palm Springs sets a new standard for Desert Modern design
Jill Lewis Architecture and landscape architecture firm Hoerr Schaudt joined forces to envision an exceptional sanctuary
-
Hilborn House, one of Arthur Erickson’s few residential projects, is now on the market
The home, first sketched on an envelope at Montreal Airport, feels like a museum of modernist shapes, natural materials and indoor-outdoor living
-
Experience the profound power of the Brumadinho Memorial, honouring the victims of Brazil’s mining tragedy
A deeply moving memorial by Gustavo Penna creates a space for collective mourning and remembrance in Brumadiño, Brazil
-
Inside a Donald Wexler house so magical, its owner bought it twice
So transfixed was Daniel Patrick Giles, founder of fragrance brand Perfumehead, he's even created a special scent devoted to it
-
Maison Louis Carré, the only Alvar Aalto house in France, reopens after restoration
Designed by the modernist architect in the 1950s as the home of art dealer Louis Carré, the newly restored property is now open to visit again – take our tour
-
We spent the night at Indian modernists the Kanade brothers' home in Nagaj
Indian modernists the Kanade brothers' home in Nagaj exemplifies their approach to architecture; architect and writer Nipun Prabhakar spends the night and tells the story
-
Meet Ferdinand Fillod, a forgotten pioneer of prefabricated architecture
His clever flat-pack structures were 'a little like Ikea before its time.'