Meet the modernist architects who helped define Brazilian architecture, their main works and the legacy left in the country
Submitted at Sep 21, 2026, 12:00 PM
(Divulgação/Divulgação)
Modernism profoundly changed the way people think and build in Brazil. From the first decades of the 20th century onward, new materials, geometric shapes and a different relationship between architecture, city and landscape became part of the repertoire of professionals seeking a distinctive identity for national production.
More than reproducing international trends, Brazilian modernist architects incorporated local features into their projects, exploring reinforced concrete, large spans, integration between indoor and outdoor spaces and elements such as cobogós, brise-soleils and gardens.
Among the names that helped build this history are professionals who left their marks and identity on the history and construction of cities, in public buildings, residences, museums and urban complexes. Below, meet some of them!
Brasília reúne algumas das obras mais marcantes de Oscar Niemeyer, arquiteto que ajudou a transformar a capital federal em um dos maiores símbolos da arquitetura moderna. (Arquivo Público/Divulgação)
Few names are as closely associated with Brazilian modern architecture as Oscar Niemeyer. Born in Rio de Janeiro, the architect became known for the expressive use of reinforced concrete and for curved shapes, which broke with the geometric rigidity predominant in much of modern architecture.
(Divulgação/Divulgação)
Among his best-known projects are the National Congress, the Copan, the Palácio da Alvorada and the Metropolitan Cathedral of Brasília, in addition to the Pampulha complex, in Belo Horizonte. His partnership with Lúcio Costa was fundamental to the construction of the new Brazilian capital.
(Divulgação/Divulgação)
Lúcio Costa played a central role in consolidating modernism in the country. In addition to being an architect and urban planner, he was responsible for the urban plan of Brasília, conceived from the so-called Pilot Plan.
(Divulgação/Divulgação)
His career was also linked to the preservation of historical heritage and to the pursuit of a modern architecture that dialogued with the Brazilian building tradition. The Brasília project became one of his most important contributions to national architecture.
Lina Bo Bardi em meio às cadeiras do auditório do primeiro MASP, na Rua Sete de Abril, em São Paulo. (Galerie Brazil Modernist/Divulgação)
Born in Italy, Lina Bo Bardi built in Brazil one of the most singular trajectories of 20th-century architecture. Her work valued popular culture, exposed materials, and coexistence among different groups and cultural manifestations.
A Casa de Vidro foi um espaço de convivência, experimentação e criação para Lina Bo Bardi, onde arquitetura, design, arte e natureza se encontravam no cotidiano. (Nelson Kon/Divulgação)
The São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP) is one of her most emblematic works, marked by the large free span and the concrete structure. Sesc Pompeia, also in São Paulo, reveals another dimension of her thinking, by transforming an old factory into a cultural and community space.
Affonso Eduardo Reidy (Divulgação/Divulgação)
One of the leading representatives of modern architecture in Rio de Janeiro, Affonso Eduardo Reidy explored the relationship between architecture, urbanism, and public space.
(Arquivo Esdi/Divulgação)
Among his works is the Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro (MAM Rio), at Aterro do Flamengo. The project uses an independent structure and large spans, creating an architecture that relates directly to the gardens and landscape designed by Roberto Burle Marx.
Vilanova Artigas em aula na FAU USP. (Reprodução / Vilanova Artigas: o arquiteto e a luz / Olé Produções/Divulgação)
João Batista Vilanova Artigas was one of the fundamental names of São Paulo modern architecture. His production is marked by exposed concrete, robust structures, and the creation of ample and integrated interior spaces.
Casa Vilanova Artigas II - Vilanova Artigas. (Nelson Kon/Divulgação)
Among his best-known projects is the School of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of São Paulo (FAU-USP), built from a large concrete structure that favors circulation and coexistence.
Paulo Mendes da Rocha em palestra concedida à CASACOR São Paulo 2019. (Bárbara Malvar/Divulgação)
A disciple of Artigas and also one of the exponents of the so-called Paulista School, Paulo Mendes da Rocha developed an architecture marked by structural presence and the appreciation of collective spaces.
Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, por Paulo Mendes da Rocha + Eduardo Colonelli + Weliton Ricoy Torres (Nelson Kon/Divulgação)
The Pinacoteca and MuBE, in São Paulo, are examples of his approach. The projects use large concrete structures and create a particular relationship between architecture, plaza and landscaping.
(Divulgação/Divulgação)
Rino Levi was one of the pioneers of architectural modernism in Brazil. Trained in Italy, he returned to the country in the 1920s and developed a body of work that combined constructive rationality, comfort and attention to Brazilian climatic conditions.
O Teatro Cultura Artística reúne a arquitetura de Rino Levi e o mosaico criado por Di Cavalcanti, uma colaboração que se tornou um dos marcos do modernismo paulistano. (Nelson Kon/Divulgação)
His work includes residential, commercial and cultural buildings, contributing to the transformation of São Paulo's architecture throughout the 20th century.
Roberto Burle Marx (1909-1994). (Luiz Knud Correia de Araújo/Divulgação)
Although he is primarily recognized as a landscape architect, Roberto Burle Marx made an essential contribution to modern Brazilian architecture by transforming the relationship between building, garden and landscape.
((Divulgação/Julio Ono)/Divulgação)
His projects introduced organic shapes, native species and abstract compositions to outdoor spaces. The partnership with architects such as Niemeyer and Reidy helped consolidate a modern Brazilian language, in which architecture and landscaping came to be conceived in an integrated way.
This text was developed with the assistance of CASACOR Publisher, an exclusive content agent developed by CASACOR's Technology team based on the knowledge base of casacor.com.br. The generated content was subsequently edited by Yeska Coelho.
