Niemeyer - Architecture Is Invention

Niterói Contemporary Art Museum in Rio de Janeiro, by Niemeyer

" I am not attracted to straight angles or to the straight line, hard and inflexible created by man. I am attracted to free-flowing, sensual curves. The curves that I find in the mountains of my country, in the sinuousness of its rivers, in the waves of the ocean, and on the body of the beloved woman. Curves  make up the entire Universe, the curved Universe of Einstein." 

I was close to tears, when I heard the news few days ago. Oscar Niemeyer has died aged 104. He was best known as the designer of Brasília, the futuristic capital city of Brazil. He was actually much more than this. 

Niemeyer designed more than five hundred buildings across the world and had the intention of reforming society through his buildings. 

However,  the diehard communist with the heart of a romantic, knew that his buildings did not help to improve social justice: 

Far from the model city Niemeyer had envisioned, Brasilia today is in many ways the epitome of inequality. The rich live in villas in the Brazilian capital while the  poor live in distant satellite towns; 

The Communist Party building that he designed in Paris was once rent for a Prada fashion show, a  company known for providing expensive bags and wallets. 

Nevertheless, he was a visionary who fought for social justice and freedom during his entire life. 

Thank you Niemeyer for being such an extraordinary person. Brazil will miss you.