website: www.niemeyer.org.br
awards: 1988 Pritzker Prize, Pritzker Prize
Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (born 15 December 1907 - died 5 December 2012), known as Oscar Niemeyer, was a Brazilian architect who is one of the key figures in international modern architecture. He was a pioneer in exploring the formal possibilities of reinforced concrete solely for their aesthetic impact. His signature curved reinforced concrete forms drew inspiration from "everything he loved" - the curved shapes of the women he sketched as a teenager in the brothels of Rio, - the natural environment of his homeland, referencing the elliptical white beaches, sinuous rivers, mountains and curving waves, - and the rounded towers of Brazilian baroque churches.
