Church Sketches

Architecture and Design

1999

Oscar Niemeyer
Brazilian, 1907-2012

Despite his position as an atheist, Oscar Niemeyer designed several religious buildings over the course of his career. Three designs of religious buildings depicted here introduced non-traditional and innovative solutions. The un-built mosque in Algiers was designed to rest over the sea with bridge to connect to the shore; the Cathedral for Brasilia took the form of a stylized crown of thorns; and the parabolic structure that formed the church of St. Francis Assisi in Minas Gerais received much criticism for its similarity to a bomb shelter—while construction completed in 1942 it was not until 1959 that the church was consecrated.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Architecture and Design

Artist: Oscar Niemeyer (Architect)
Title: Church Sketches
Place: Brazil (Artist's nationality:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1999
Medium: Black marker on tracing paper
Dimensions: 50 × 70 cm (19 11/16 × 27 9/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Oscar Niemeyer, Fundaçao Oscar Niemeyer
Reference Number: 1999.302.3

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