Butterfly roof
Early modernism.
Jani Pereira — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edulima79 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jani Pereira — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sudhertzen — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jani Pereira — CC BY-SA 4.0
On the shore of Lake Pampulha stands the weekend house Oscar Niemeyer designed for Juscelino Kubitschek while he was mayor of Belo Horizonte, built between 1940 and 1943 as part of the same Pampulha project that launched Niemeyer's fame, and before Kubitschek became president of Brazil and the builder of Brasília. The house is an early example of Brazilian modernism: a butterfly roof of two sloping planes and 680 square metres on a 2,800-square-metre plot, set at the far end from the street behind a garden by Roberto Burle Marx to protect the family's privacy. Inside are paintings by Alfredo Volpi and murals by Paulo Werneck, and behind the pool is a small house Kubitschek used as an office and loved above all. It became a museum in 2013, showing period furniture and exhibitions on Pampulha's history and Kubitschek's life. Entry is free. It opens Wednesday to Sunday 10:00-18:00 and fits one tour with the Pampulha modern ensemble, a World Heritage Site.
Early modernism.
Out front.
On the shore.
Avenida Otacílio Negrão de Lima 4188, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte
Oscar Niemeyer; it was built between 1940 and 1943, with a garden by Roberto Burle Marx.
