#leonardo finotti

In almost eight decades of active practice Oscar Niemeyer (1907-2012) designed a vast amount of projects covering a multitude of typologies. From his early involvement with the Ministry of Education and Health, the later design of Brasília with Lucio Costa, the Communist Party HQ in Paris during his forced exile in France to his late works Niemeyer actively wrote architectural history in Brazil and beyond. One of the most avid documentarist of Niemeyer’s built oeuvre is architectural photographer Leonardo Finotti who together with Andrey Schlee, Sylvia Fischer and Michelle Castro published „Oscar Niemeyer“ in 2021, a fantastic monograph featuring more than 180 of the architect’s buildings. Finotti arranged his photographs in such a way that similarities become apparent and recurring elements in different contexts and dimensions can be identified, a very interesting presentation that without words vividly explains the master’s architecture. Completely in black and white Finotti’s photographs form the coherent backbone of the book while at the same time providing the visual cues to the insightful essays included in the book: Andrey Schlee and Sylvia Fischer contributed a thorough yet diverting biographical sketch of Niemeyer’s long life that is organized along its many stages from his childhood to his late life and death. Of particular interest nonetheless is Nivaldo Andrade’s whose essay focuses  on Niemeyer’s impact on 20th century Brazil with regards to art, culture and politics, an aspect that outside of Brazil is often overlooked. Being member of the Brazilian communist party PCB Niemeyer also took part in strikes, artists’ initiatives and the political discourse in Brazil. At the same time he was friends with numerous creatives, poets, musicians and intellectuals and actively took part in his country’s cultural life. 

The present edition of the book is an artists’ edition that comes in a plexiglass slipcase with printing plates of Leonardo Finotti’s photographs of Niemeyer buildings on each side. It can be used either traditionally as slipcase or mounted on the wall as an artwork and makes the book beyond its great content that bit more special!