Architect:
Oscar Niemeyer - Rio de Janeiro.
The house that Niemeyer built for himself in 1953 is an excellent example of Freeform Modernism, and an example that could only exist in Brazil. While the thin, flat roof slab and floor-to-ceiling glass walls are certainly central elements of many classic Modernist buildings, particularly Mies's Farnsworth House and Philip Johnson's Glass House, the curvilinear outlines in Niemeyer's residence are uniquely expressive of Brazilian heritage. The Colonial Baroque architecture that dominated Brazil before is very curvaceous, as is its local artwork. Moreover; the eroded hills, winding rivers and shorelines, and rolling landscape of Brazil itself are a clear inspiration for the forms in Niemeyer's work.
[Casa de Canoas is nu te bezoeken en bevat een kleine expo over Niemeyer's werk]
