Oscar Niemeyer

Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (December 15, 1907  December 5, 2012) was a Brazilian architect who is thought to be an important name in worldwide modern architecture. He was a pioneer in the idea of using reinforced concrete for buildings.

Buildings made by Niemeyer often have a lot of empty space, making odd patterns. The biggest work he made was the plan for the city of Brasília.

Politically, Niemeyer was a communist,Telegraph obituary which sometimes had a bad effect for him: When the military dictatorship of Brazil happened in 1964, Niemeyer was forced into exile in Paris. Fidel Castro once said  "Niemeyer and I are the last Communists of this planet."

In 1988, Niemeyer won the Pritzker Prize.Pritzker Architecture Prize,  "Oscar Niemeyer, 1988 Laureate"; retrieved 2013-3-27.

In 2012, he died of cardiac arrest due to a respiratory tract infection.Express obituary

 References 

 Other websites 

 May 2006 Interview with Niemeyer, age 98, in Metropolis Magazine 
 Oscar Niemeyer, A Legend of Modernism , a book
 Niemeyer in Brasília history 
 Images of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Niteroi, Cathedral of Brasília, and Memorial dos Povos Indigenas (Memorial for the Indigenous People)

Category:1907 births
Category:2012 deaths
Category:Brazilian architects
Category:Brazilian centenarians
Category:Communists
Category:Deaths from respiratory tract infection
Category:Deaths from cardiac arrest
Category:People from Rio de Janeiro
Category:Pritzker Architecture Prize winners