The 1939 New York City World’s Fair pavilion by Oscar Niemeyer and Lucio Costa was designed to change the global image of Brazil. On the world stage, people would see Brazil as a modern and progressive country. The building features strong qualities of typical modern architecture; the integration of a flat roof, pilotis, brisessoleil and a garden. However, the free flowing curves and asymmetrical design make the building unique and plastic.

This project will conduct an investigation into the treatment of space and visual forms of the building. It recognizes the pavilion’s historical context in relationship to the simultaneous Brazilian modern art movement that shared similar sentiments of searching for a ‘Brasilidade’ and also used sinuous and organic forms in painting. 

The first aspect of this study will be the comparison of proportions and perspectives within the building to the ones in Tarsila Do Amaral’s famous paintings, as these characteristics are also present in the pavilion’s landscape, sculptures and paintings. Additionally, it will analyze the 1939 Brazil Pavilion through the lens of plastic integration; the pavilion as a sculptural piece that also frames different forms of art within it. The sculptures, paintings and tactile art that serve as the exhibits are all integrated into the overall architectural design, and they begin to shape the visitor’s experience and understanding of Brazilian culture. Through this analysis of the building’s relationship to the modern art movement and the relationship with its art, the projects aims to prove that the Brazil Pavilion was designed to function not only as an exhibit space, but as a fully integrated piece of plastic architecture.

Brazilian Pavilion. Photographer unknown.
1939. Print, Arqtexto no. 16.