Rio and Niteroi, Brazil

Oscar Niemeyer left an indelible mark on the architectural landscape of Rio de Janeiro and its sister city Niterói, transforming both into showcases of Brazilian modernism. In Niterói, Niemeyer created one of his striking urban intervention: the Niterói Contemporary Art Museum, completed in 1996. This UFO-like structure, perched on a cliff overlooking the bay, exemplifies his philosophy of creating architecture through bold curves and dramatic forms that seem to defy gravity. The museum's flying saucer shape, supported by a single central column and surrounded by a reflecting pool, has become an emblem of the city and demonstrates Niemeyer's lifelong fascination with "the curve—the liberated, sensual curve" that he saw in the Brazilian landscape. Together, the works across both cities represent Niemeyer's vision of architecture as sculpture, where concrete becomes a medium for creating spaces that are both functional and poetically expressive of Brazil's modernist aspirations.