Gustavo Capanema Palace, Government palace in Centro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Gustavo Capanema Palace is a government building in Centro, Rio de Janeiro, constructed in white concrete and rising 16 floors above a large open plaza at ground level. The structure sits on 10-meter-high pillars, with glass facades and horizontal sunshades defining the upper floors.
Construction began in 1936 under a team that included Oscar Niemeyer and Lucio Costa, with advice from Le Corbusier who visited Brazil and influenced the planning. The building opened in 1945, becoming the first modernist government structure in the country.
The design combines large-scale artworks by Brazilian creators, including ceramic panels and sculptures that occupy prominent positions throughout the interior. This fusion of visual art with the building reflects a vision of state architecture as a showcase for national talent.
The plaza under the raised structure is open to the public and provides a shaded space for a brief visit. Guided tours of the interior are sometimes available, so it is wise to check ahead if access to the upper floors is allowed.
The Museum of Modern Art in New York featured this building in a 1943 exhibition, calling it the most advanced structure under construction at the time. This early recognition brought Brazilian architecture onto the international stage of the modern movement for the first time.
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