Josep M. Botey

I have a hard time passing up any books by GG that I come across. In the case of this petit monograph on the great Oscar Niemeyer, I bought it strictly for researching my book "100 Years, 100 Buildings" (the Brazilian architect is featured a few times). There are quite a few monographs devoted to Niemeyer out there, many in English, but this one (first printed in 1996), with its comprehensive coverage of his works and projects, ensured each building I needed would be there. The works and projects are presented chronologically within ten typological chapters, such as private houses, religious buildings, urbanism, and furniture. Descriptions, in both Spanish and English, are very short, but there are lots of photos (b/w, not an issue with Niemeyer's whitewashed buildings) and drawings -- a surprising amount for such a compact book. Although not a solitary resource for my research (the NYPL was handy for other, more expensive books), it was very helpful -- and a great addition to my library.… (mere)