When Brazil was Modern

A Guide to Architecture 1928-1960

This comprehensive guide to modern Brazilian architecture takes us on a fascinating tour of over 125 buildings and projects designed between 1928, the year of Gregori Warchavchik's historic Paulista House, and 1960, the year the capital of Brasilia was inaugurated. Works by thirty-three architects, including renowned figures such as Oscar Niemeyer and Paulo Mendes da Rocha and lesser-known, but equally exciting, architects like Flavio de Carvalho and Lina Bo Bardi, are presented in this handsomely designed guide. Each entry provides photographs, drawings, a brief description, and information on visitor access. When Brazil was Modern is a complete survey of the country's modern architectural legacy, and not only fills a forty year-old bibliographic gap on the subject, but also sheds new light on the aesthetics and social underpinnings of Brazil's modern architecture. By including the unconventional and experimental, author Cavalcanti challenges the very definition of what was modern, in Brazil, the Americas, and elsewhere.