Brazilian colonial architecture was derived from Portugal, with adaptations demanded by the tropical climate. The more enduring examples of this very attractive style are to be found in the churches and monasteries of the older cities, but most spectacularly in Ouro Preto, the first capital of the province of Minas Gerais. This city has been meticulously restored and protected as part of Brazil's heritage and it is now on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
From the second half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, Brazilian architects were under a pervasive French influence. Since then, architecture in Brazil has evolved its own style, without losing contact with innovators in other countries such as Le Corbusier in France and Frank Lloyd Wright in the US. Indeed, it now attracts worldwide attention as one of the country's most characteristic art forms. The volume and pace of urban expansion during the last 30 years have provided exceptional opportunities for combining social and functional needs with artistic expression. The result has been not only the burgeoning of many fine buildings, but also the birth of entire suburbs and completely new cities.
Of course, the best known example of modern Brazilian architecture is the new capital city of Brasília, where imagination was given full flight. The urban plan conceived by Lúcio Costa and the design of the main public buildings by architect Oscar Niemeyer have become landmarks in the realm of architecture on a massive scale.
New buildings alone cannot create beautiful and harmonious urban environments. Alongside the bold new architectural concepts, a school of landscape designers headed by Roberto Burle Marx has arisen in Brazil to balance the images of concrete and glass structures with the welcoming greenery of gardens and parks. As a result of his work in many Brazilian cities, Burle Marx has acquired an international reputation. Examples of his work are now to be found in public and private gardens and parks in the Americas and in Europe.
