“The Architect’s role is to fight for a better world…”

By Cristina Carrillo De Albornoz, The Art Newspaper
November 2010

Oscar Niemeyer was born on 15 December, 1907, in Rio de Janeiro. At ten years old he would make shapes in the air with his fingers, prompting his mother to ask: “What are you doing, boy?” He would reply: “I’m drawing.” “I could picture the drawings in the air and correct them,” he remembers. In 1956 he was commissioned to design an entire city—Brasilia, the new capital of Brazil—which brought him huge international acclaim. He was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 1988 and the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts in 1989. Now approaching his 103rd birthday, Niemeyer continues to practise from his office opposite Rio’s Copacabana beach, in a circular building that echoes the curves that are emblematic of his architecture. He is currently preparing a book on cathedrals while overseeing the final stages of the Niemeyer Centre (El Centro Cultural Internacional Oscar Niemeyer) in Avilés, Spain. More … http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/%E2%80%9CThe+architect%E2%80%99s+role+is+to+fight+for+a+better+world%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D/21854.

 

Cheek to Cheek with Frank Gehry

By Chloe Malle, New York Observer
November 22, 2010

“Where would you like to go?” a construction worker asked. Everyone was in hard hats. “Uh, we’re going to 37, take us to—” someone started to say. “Heaven!” Frank Gehry chimed in. “We’d like to go to heaven. Press heaven!” As the recently installed elevator at 8 Spruce Street floated soundlessly upward, Mr. Gehry, the building’s architect, stood facing the closed doors, his hands laced together in front of him. More … http://www.observer.com/2010/real-estate/cheek-cheek-frank-gehry?page=all.