The Shape of Brazil: Oscar Niemeyer & Vicente De Paulo

Friend of TPP, Ashley Simpson, recently skyped with photographer Vicente De Paulo on the eve of his commissioned project for Visionaire and Paddle8.

Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC), Niteroi, 1991

He was the one to shape the original Brazil,” says Brazilian photographer Vicente De Paulo of 104 year-old architect and Rio native Oscar Niemeyer. The architect, renowned for his curvaceous, concrete Modernist designs, is the focus of a special commissioned project by Visionaire and Paddle8, which debuts on the art retail site this week and will come to life in Visionaire’s RIO issue, out this September. The collaboration features ten 3D photographs of several of Niemeyer’s most iconic cites—including exterior views of the sensuous Gustavo Campana Palace and images the city’s famous hyperboloid Cathedral—, all shot by De Paulo. “Because Brazilia is my hometown and I had never done a project about the city, I was very excited to be able to go there and shoot those buildings,” explains the 46-year-old photographer. “Niemeyer brings to Rio this whole glamour because he was based here and did so much. The whole world paid attention.  He gave us not just an identity, but the icon of what the symbol of what the Brazilian lifestyle means.

Cathedral of Brasilia, Brasilia, 1958

Cathedral of Brasilia, Brasilia, 1958

Itamaraty Palace (Ministry of External Relations), Brasilia, 1962

Photography Courtesy Vicente de Paulo