Open:
June 20 - September 14, 2003 - free entry
The 96-year-old Mohican, a walking memory of the glorious era of
Corbusier, was invited to design a summer pavilion in the garden of London's Hyde Park. Oscar Niemeyer is by no means the only figure in architecture who remains active in his nineties (
Philip Johnson and soon
this year's laureate of the
Pritzker Prize). Advanced age is primarily attributed to genetics and lifestyle. In spirit, we can hope that the choice of profession also plays a role. We have chosen one of the callings that simply cannot be hung up on a nail in retirement. Regardless of how good or bad the architecture you create is.
Petr Šmídek
"It was a pleasure for me to design the pavilion for the Serpentine Gallery, my first building in the United Kingdom. My vision was to maintain the project's uniqueness and freedom. That is what I prefer. I love to draw, I enjoy watching how a palace, a cathedral, or a female figure emerges on a clean sheet of paper. But life is far more important to me than architecture."
"Oscar Niemeyer is one of the greatest living architects, and we are thrilled that he has agreed to design the Serpentine Gallery pavilion for this year. It is an honor for us to finally convey his work to a British audience in person."
Julia Peyton-Jones, Director of the Serpentine Gallery
"It is our pleasure to be associated with one of London's most brilliant and accessible galleries by sponsoring the Serpentine Pavilion 2003 designed by Oscar Niemeyer. Eurex strives for a democratic and open approach to financial markets. We connect people across borders and in a similar spirit, we support this exciting project.
Rudolf Ferscha, Executive Vice President of Eurex
"We imagined a park and a pavilion, nature and architecture, and
Oscar Niemeyer left his charming mark on both. Arup feels honored to be part of this effort. It reminds us of the ideals of Ove Arup, who sought to approach design in which its Techné (method of production) is not forced and as a whole works much better than its individual parts. In the work of
Oscar Niemeyer, we found a certain kind of simplicity and fun at the highest possible level. The footprint that flourishes in Brazil finally comes from London and the Serpentine Gallery."
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