ARQUITETURA CONTEMPORANEA NO BRASIL
CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE IN BRASIL
ARQUITECTURA CONTEMPORANEA EN BRASIL: VOLUME ONE
Organizado Pela Revista Ante-Projeto
Organizado Pela Revista Ante-Projeto [Edgar Graeff, Marcos Jaimovich, Jose Duval, Nestor Lindenberg and Slioma Selter]: ARQUITETURA CONTEMPORANEA NO BRASIL / CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE IN BRASIL / ARQUITECTURA CONTEMPORANEA EN BRASIL: VOLUME ONE. Rio de Janeiro: Editora Gertum Carneiro S.A., 1947. First edition. Text in Portuguese, English and Spanish. A spiral-bound book cased in sunfaded and worn boards; a third of the spine's casing is missing. Pages are slightly yellowed and a few have creasing. Otherwise, interior unmarked and clean. Out-of-print.
9.5 x 13 scarce spiral-bound book cased in red boards with gilt stamping with approx. 160 pages [unpaginated] and 40 projects and approx. 250 b/w plans, models and photos: "We give in this album pictures of buildings and projects which show in a general way the work of our architects since 1940."
Volume One of a projected two-volume set. Includes an introduction by Marcos Jaimovich and Edgar Graeff outlining the evolution of the magazine ANTE-PROJETO and a well laid-out indice. Projects include houses, apartments, country clubs, companies, a hospital and a jockey club among other buildings.
Architects include Alvar Vital Brasil, Abelardo de Souza, Helio Duarte, Zenon Lotufo, Sergio Bernardes, Affonso Eduardo Reidy, Oswaldo Bratke, Estefania Paixao, Jofre Maia, Antonio Dias, Renato Soeiro, Renato Mesquita, Thomas Estrella, Jorge Ferreira, Eduardo Kneese de Mello, M. M. M. Roberto, Gregori Warchavik, Francisco Bolonha, Jiuseppina Pirro, Lygoa Fernandes, Francisco Bolonha, Israel Barros Correa and Vasco Venchiarutti.
Even before the advent of the Vargas government in 1930 there were Brazilian experiments in modern architecture. From modest beginnings the movement, happening to coincide with a building boom, spread like brushfire. Almost over- night it has changed the faces of the great cities, Rio and Sao Paulo, where it has had its most enthusiastic reception.
The construction of impressive new buildings to house all government and public service departments is evidence of the realization of the Brazilian Government and its forty million citizens of the great importance of their country, third in area in the world. Rio de Janeiro has the most beautiful government building in the Western Hemisphere, the new Ministry of Education and Health. Snr. Gustavo Capanema, Minister of Education and Health, has given the most active and practical encouragement to progressive architecture. He has also recognized the important contribution well-related painting and sculpture can make to architecture. The Ministry of Education and Health boasts a gigantic mural in tile by Portinari, Brazil's leading modern painter.
Other capital cities of the world lag far behind Rio de Janeiro In architectural design. While Federal classic in Washington, Royal Academy archeology in London, Nazi classic in Munich, and neo-imperial in Moscow are still triumphant, Brazil has had the courage to break away from safe and easy conservatism. Its fearless departure from the slavery of traditionalism has put a depth charge under the antiquated routine of governmental thought and has set free the spirit of creative design. The capitals of the world that will need rebuilding after the war can look to no finer models than the modern buildings of the capital city of Brazil.