Oscar Niemeyer | 1907-2012

Niemeyer smiles during a celebration at his 100th birthday in Rio de Janeiro. “What’s important for the architect is to do what he likes and not what others would like him to do,” he said.  (Ricardo Moraes / Associated Press)

The flowing form of Niemeyer’s Ibirapuera Park Auditorium in Sao Paulo makes a Modernist statement.  (Sebastiao Moreira / EPA)

For Niemeyer, curves, as presented in Brasilia’s National Congress building, are “the natural solution.”  (Eraldo Peres / Associated Press)

The sweeping ramp at Brasilia’s National Museum is a classic Niemeyer touch. “Architecture is invention. If you go to Brasilia, you may or may not like the buildings, but you won’t be able to say you’ve ever seen anything like it. ... Architecture has to hold surprises,” he said.  (Evaristo Sa / AFP/Getty Images)

Niemeyer’s curvaceous El Copan apartment complex was designed in 1951. Since his first solo commission more than 65 years ago, he has had a profound influence on architecture and the Modernist genre.  (Sebastiao Moreira / EPA)

A spiral walkway is part of Niemeyer’s most recent creations, a mile-long seafront esplanade of buildings and open space in Niteroi, Brazil.  (Douglas Engle / For The Times)

Shadows and light set off the Federal Supreme Court in Brasilia, the sleek, futuristic capital he designed in the 1950s and that remains his magnum opus. When he turned 100, Niemeyer was made Grand Commander of the Legion of Honour, a French award bestowed in his Copacabana studio.  (Evaristo Sa / AFP/Getty Images)

The 1963 Strick house on La Mesa Drive in Santa Monica is the only known home in the United States designed by Niemeyer. As his 100th birthday neared, he turned philosophical: “What do I think of life? A woman at your side, and let God have his way.”  (Ringo H. W. Chiu / For The Times)