Postcards from Rio

The Contemporary Art Museum (MAC), designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, sits on a hill in Niteroi, as the famous Sugarloaf mountain of Rio de Janeiro, rises above the Guanabara Bay in the background. Niemeyer is known for his futuristic round and curving designs, and in particular for designing most of the buildings in Brasilia, the planned Brazilian capital. Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1907, Niemeyer's formative experience was in 1934 when he joined a team of Brazilian architects collaborating with French architect Le Corbusier on a new Ministry of Education and Health in Rio de Janeiro. It was while working on this project that he met the mayor of Brazil's wealthy central state, Juscelino Kubitschek, who would later become President of Brazil. As President, he appointed Niemeyer to be the chief architect of Brasilia, a project which occupied all of his time for many years. (AustralFoto/Douglas Engle)

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The Contemporary Art Museum (MAC), designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, sits on a hill in Niteroi, as the famous Sugarloaf mountain of Rio de Janeiro, rises above the Guanabara Bay in the background. Niemeyer is known for his futuristic round and curving designs, and in particular for designing most of the buildings in Brasilia, the planned Brazilian capital. Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1907, Niemeyer's formative experience was in 1934 when he joined a team of Brazilian architects collaborating with French architect Le Corbusier on a new Ministry of Education and Health in Rio de Janeiro. It was while working on this project that he met the mayor of Brazil's wealthy central state, Juscelino Kubitschek, who would later become President of Brazil. As President, he appointed Niemeyer to be the chief architect of Brasilia, a project which occupied all of his time for many years. (AustralFoto/Douglas Engle)

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