In architecture it isn't enough to just have the right building that works well. It can also be beautiful. It can also be different. It can create surprise. And surprise is the main thing in a work of art. [] I like and respect Brasรญยญlia very much. It is a simple city, a rational one. I always defend the urban design of Brasรญยญlia
Oscar NiemeyerWhen students leave college, they are like children who know nothing about the problems of life, and don't have a political stance.
Oscar NiemeyerCurves are the essence of my work because they are the essence of Brazil, pure and simple.
Oscar NiemeyerWe hated Bauhaus. It was a bad time in architecture. They just didnโt have any talent. All they had were rules. Even for knives and forks they created rules. Picasso would never have accepted rules. The house is like a machine? No! The mechanical is ugly. The rule is the worst thing. You just want to break it.
Oscar NiemeyerArchitecture is my work, and Ive spent my whole life at a drawing board, but life is more important than architecture. What matters is to improve human beings.
Oscar Niemeyer