Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (December 15, 1907 – December 5, 2012), known as
Oscar Niemeyer , was a
Brazilian architect who is considered to be one of the key figures in the development of
modern architecture. Niemeyer was best known for his design of civic buildings for
Brasília, a
planned city that became Brazil's capital in 1960, as well as his collaboration with other architects on the
United Nations Headquarters in
New York City. His exploration of the aesthetic possibilities of
reinforced concrete was highly influential in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.