Paulo Mendes da Rocha (October 25, 1928 – May 23, 2021) was a Brazilian
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
.
Mendes da Rocha attended the
Mackenzie Presbyterian University College of Architecture, graduating in 1954. Working almost exclusively in Brazil, Mendes da Rocha began designing buildings in 1957, many of them built in concrete, a method some
call "Brazilian
Brutalism", arguably allowing buildings to be constructed cheaply and quickly. He contributed many notable cultural buildings to
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
and is widely credited with having enhanced and revitalized the city.
Mendes da Rocha was a professor at the Architecture College of
University of São Paulo
The University of São Paulo ( pt, Universidade de São Paulo, USP) is a public university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is the largest Brazilian public university and the country's most prestigious educational institution, the bes ...
, known as
FAU-USP, until 1998. His work was influenced by Brazilian architect
Vilanova Artigas, from the paulist Brazilian School. He was honored with the
Mies van der Rohe Prize
The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award is a prize given biennially by the European Union and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona, 'to acknowledge and reward quality architectural production in Eu ...
(2000), the
Pritzker Prize (2006), and the
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...
Golden Lion for lifetime achievement (2016).
Mendes da Rocha died on May 23, 2021, in São Paulo at the age of 92.
Major works
Gallery
File:SESC 24 de Maio (01).jpg, SESC 24 de Maio, São Paulo (2017)
File:Museu dos Coches 2.jpg, Museu dos Coches, Lisbon (2015)
File:Paulo mendes da rocha - capela de são pedro apóstolo - campos do jordão - são paulo - brasil.jpg, Saint Peter Chapel, São Paulo (1987)
File:PMENDES3.JPG, Patriarch Plaza, São Paulo (2002)
File:MuBE 19.JPG, Brazilian Sculpture Museum, ''Mube'', São Paulo (1988).
File:Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil - interiores.JPG, Pinacotheca, ''Pinacoteca do Estado'', São Paulo (1993)
References
Sources
*Artigas, Rosa: "Paulo Mendes da Rocha", Cosac & Naify
*Spiro, Annette: "Paulo Mendes da Rocha. Works and Projects".
*VAZ MILHEIRO, Ana; TAVARES, Gonçalo M.; SIMÕES, João Carmo.
Paulo Mendes da Rocha: Museu Nacional dos Coches'. Monade, Lisboa, 2015.
Designed Future or Selected Writings by Paulo Mendes da Rocha, monade, Lisboa, 2019 (English version)
External links
Pritzker Prize – profileNPR profileObjekto
1928 births
2021 deaths
Brazilian architects
Brutalist architects
Mackenzie Presbyterian University alumni
University of São Paulo faculty
Architecture educators
Pritzker Architecture Prize winners
People from São Paulo (state)
Recipients of the Order of Cultural Merit (Brazil)
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