The Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre, or Centro Niemeyer ( es, link=no, Centro Cultural Internacional Oscar Niemeyer, popularly known as ''el Niemeyer''), is a cultural centre complex designed by the Brazilian architect

Oscar Niemeyer Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (15 December 1907 – 5 December 2012), known as Oscar Niemeyer (), was a Brazilian architect considered to be one of the key figures in the development of modern architecture. Niemeyer was ...

and an international project. The centre is located on the estuary of

Avilés Avilés (; ) is a town in Asturias, Spain. Avilés is, along with Oviedo and Gijón, one of the main cities in the Principality of Asturias. The town occupies the flattest land in the municipality, partially in a land that belonged to the sea, ...

Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensiv ...

, in northwest Spain. It was inaugurated on 26 March 2011. Its imposing size and its white, red and yellow exterior make it a highly visible landmark on the town's landscape.

Oscar Niemeyer: The origins and the design

, from

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, Brazil, one of the most influential modernist architects in the world, was awarded the

Prince of Asturias Award The Princess of Asturias Awards ( es, Premios Princesa de Asturias, links=no, ast, Premios Princesa d'Asturies, links=no), formerly the Prince of Asturias Awards from 1981 to 2014 ( es, Premios Príncipe de Asturias, links=no), are a series of a ...

for Art in 1989. This was the beginning of the relationship between Niemeyer and the Principality region of Asturias. Years later, as a present for the 25th anniversary of the Awards, Niemeyer donated a project to the principality. His design has become a project meant to be an international reference in the cultural field. It is dedicated to education, culture and, peace. The centre is the first work by Niemeyer in Spain, and he had said he believes it is his most important in Europe, which is the reason for its name - Centro Niemeyer.

Structure

The Niemeyer Centre is formed by five main elements that complement each other: * The open square is a large open outdoor space for cultural activities that reflects Niemeyer's idea of a place open to humankind. * The auditorium contains approximately 1000 seats for concerts, theatre, and conferences. It is unusual in that its seating does not distinguish between social classes. It includes the club, a small space for concerts, and an exhibition room in the foyer. * The dome is the exhibition building. * The tower is for sight-seeing and includes a restaurant and cocktail lounge. * The multi-purpose building contains the film centre, meeting-rooms, cafe, shop, and information kiosk. Aviles - Centro Cultural Internacional Oscar Niemeyer 67

Aviles - Centro Cultural Internacional Oscar Niemeyer 67

Style and colours

The main feature in Niemeyer's work are the building's curves. The building's colours - mainly white, red, yellow and blue - reflect the influence of

Neoplasticism Neoplasticism, known in Dutch as ''Nieuwe Beelding'' or the new image, is an avant-garde art theory that arose in 1917 and was employed mainly by Dutch De Stijl artists. The most notable advocates of the theory were the painters Theo van Doe ...

on his work.

Step by step

The first stone was laid in April 2008. The museum building structure was built in about an hour as a result of the use of a pioneering building techniques. This allowed the whole structure to be set up in about an hour. Then the multipurpose building and the Auditorium were constructed. The materials used were mainly concrete and glass. Also during this time the base of the Tower was started, but it was not until the structures of other buildings were almost finished that the work on the Tower was visible. An underground car park was added. The Open Square was covered in white concrete. The sides of the Auditorium were painted yellow, creating a contrast with the dominant white colour on the rest of the buildings. On one of the sides of the auditorium, a ceramic art work, designed by Niemeyer, represents the outline of a woman resting. The stage door was painted red. This door can be open to the square, so that shows can take part inside or outside the building. The inauguration ceremony took place in March 2011 with a video speech by Niemeyer and a jazz concert with

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

in front of an audience of more than 10,000 people. Paseo de la ría 2

'Niemeyer effect': impact in the post-industrial town

Apart from its cultural purposes, the centre has an important environmental element. It is the center of a large scale urban regeneration process that will change the town's whole waterfront. It is located on an island created in the

estuary, not far from the industrial area. This has helped in the regeneration process of the area. The authorities are now planning many changes there, such as eliminating heavy traffic from the port area (where the center is located) and creating sporting and recreation areas. Also new building projects are being planned - a reflection of the Niemeyer Centre effect. This area is now called ''La Isla de la Innovación'' (The Island of the Innovation). It is being developed by the Government of the

Principality of Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensiv ...

and the Government of Spain. It will provide for the economic and urban regeneration of a degraded area as part of a process of industrial transformation: the Avilés estuary, situated in

, northern Spain.

Niemeyer Effect

Thanks to the architecture and the cultural project, a number of artists became interested in the centre.

Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Awar ...

, a follower of Oscar Niemeyer's work visited the town to see the works and increased the publicity of the Asturian cultural complex. Other Hollywood stars such as

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolade ...

, visited the town several times in collaboration with the center (premieres, conferences, and theatre plays). The collaboration between different world personalities (artists, Nobel Prize winners, United Nations meetings, etc.) made Centro Niemeyer the "Spanish cultural institution with more presence in national and international media" in 2011. A year later, the area around the Centre prepared for the arrival of the first commercial cruise in Avilés' history. An Oriental Garden next to the estuary receives the arriving visitors. There are plans to create a bigger recreation port to increase tourism. The centre has also inspired several sweets, such as: Niemeyitas, Cúpulas de Avimeyer (Avimeyer domes), etc. The short film ''Keres'' by Alfonso S. Suarez was recorded at the centre. Several car companies have also used the buildings to promote their latest cars. Also a fashion magazine used it as background for a photographic session in 2011.

Meeting point for knowledge

Oscar Niemeyer's vision is based on three pillars: education, culture and peace. The Centre tries to be a magnet for the three elements. The centre also tries to combine international and national events.

G8 of culture

In December 2007, the Foundation organized the First Worldwide Forum of International Cultural Centres in Avilés, Asturias (also known as the G8 of Culture) with eight international cultural centers:

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...

of New York (USA),

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhib ...

of London(UK),

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

Centre Georges Pompidou The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou ( en, National Georges Pompidou Centre of Art and Culture), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English, is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of ...

of Paris (France),

Library of Alexandria The Great Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt, was one of the largest and most significant libraries of the ancient world. The Library was part of a larger research institution called the Mouseion, which was dedicated to the Muses, t ...

Tokyo International Forum The is a multi-purpose exhibition center in Tokyo, Japan. The complex is generally considered to be in the Yūrakuchō business district, being adjacent to Yūrakuchō Station, but it is administratively in the Marunouchi district. Tokyo I ...

(Japan) and Hong Kong Cultural Center (China) and the Cultural Centre Óscar Niemeyer of Asturias (Spain).

Production

The exhibition ''Luz'' by

Carlos Saura Carlos Saura Atarés (born 4 January 1932) is a Spanish film director, photographer and writer. Along with Luis Buñuel and Pedro Almodóvar, he is considered to be one of Spain’s most renowned filmmakers. He has a long and prolific career t ...

was a production by Centro Niemeyer. The center co-produced ''Utopía'' by María Pagés, and, in association with other institutions, co-commissioned and produced ''Richard III'' by

Sam Mendes Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was knighted in the 2020 New Years Honours List. That s ...

with

in the main role. This play was part of the Bridge Project between the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

, the

Old Vic Theatre The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal ...

in London, and the British producer Neal Street. Asturias was one of the few places in the world where it was presented, adding Aviles to a list of names such as London, Naples, Istanbul, Athens, San Francisco, and New York.

Education

The centre has organised different educational activities such as those in collaboration with the Kevin Spacey Foundation, or María Pagés. Students of different ages had the opportunity to use the meeting place for learning and activities such as performing in Broadway play. It was also one of the stops of the

Ruta Quetzal The Ruta Quetzal (also called ''Aventura 92'' and ''Ruta BBVA'' in different stages) is an education and cultural exchange project for young people directed by the famous Spanish adventurer Miguel de la Quadra-Salcedo and continued by his son, Í� ...

in 2011

Film Centre

One of the permanent activities of the Niemeyer Centre will be the Film Centre. Woody Allen proposed the idea to the

' Government following several visits to Asturias. He has publicly supported the Avilés' Centre, visiting the town and including bits of it in his first film shot in Spain ('' Vicky Cristina Barcelona'' 2008). In October 2008, the

European Film Academy The European Film Academy is an initiative of a group of European filmmakers who came together in Berlin on the occasion of the first presentation of the European Film Awards in November 1988. The Academy—under the name of European Cinema Soc ...

(EFA) announced that it will collaborate with the Niemeyer Centre's Film for a permanent cinema in the Multipurpose Building. Seat number seven in the fifth row bears Woody Allen's name. He inaugurated the cinema in 2011. There is a second seat dedicated to

Volker Schlöndorff Volker Schlöndorff (; born 31 March 1939 Friday) is a German film director, screenwriter and producer who has worked in Germany, France and the United States. He was a prominent member of the New German Cinema of the late 1960s and early 1970s ...

. The Film Centre works on films on themes, such as the United Nations, etc., but also shows premieres, and short-films.

Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre Foundation

The Fundación Centro Cultural Internacional Oscar Niemeyer Principado de Asturias was created in 2007 to manage the Niemeyer Centre's buildings and cultural projects. The Foundation develops international projects and works to set up a collaborative network. The work of the Foundation is based on three aims: education, culture and

peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

. the centre will be a magnet for talent, knowledge and creativity, as well as promoting local content. It has a strong focus on collaboration with international cultural centres. Oscar Niemeyer is an honorary member of the Foundation.

Awards

The architectural project received the following awards: * Best National Project at Barcelona Meeting Point (2010) * Best Urban Development Project at Éxito Empresarial en Asturias Awards(2010) * Icono de la Asturias de hoy (chosen by the readers of ''El Comercio'' newspaper(2011) * II Premio en la categoría placa de yeso laminado en el VIII Saint-Gobain Gypsum International Trophy Awards. (June 2012) 2012 It also received an award for its cultural contribution: * Premio del Público del Festival de Jeréz 2012 (Jerez Festival Audience Prize) to ''UTOPÍA'' de María Pagés (coproduced by Centro Niemeyer)Diario de Jeréz
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Gallery

File:CentroNiemeyer100.jpg, File:CentroNiemeyer22.jpg, File:CentroNiemeyer25.jpg, File:CentroNiemeyer32.jpg, File:CentroNiemeyer9.jpg, File:CentroNiemeyer20.jpg, File:CentroNiemeyer17.jpg,

References

External links

Niemeyer Centre Official website

''The Island of the Innovation'' (Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre 2011 establishments in Spain Art museums and galleries in Spain Art museums established in 2011 Arts centres in Spain Cultural infrastructure completed in 2011 Asturian culture Asturias Avilés Contemporary art galleries in Spain Event venues established in 2011 Modern art museums in Spain Museums in Asturias Oscar Niemeyer buildings Tourist attractions in Asturias Cultural tourism in Spain