In 1958, Peter Scheier traveled to Brasilia to photograph the first-ever marriage in the new city. He took advantage of the visit to photograph the new capital city under construction, focusing on the architecture and the construction workers. Two years later he drove to Brasilia with his family in a VW Kombi (Microbus) to photograph the inauguration of the new capital and the everyday life of the city. The resulting work was distributed internationally by the US agency Pix Incorporated and a selection was published, along with some of his photographs from the 1958 trip, in the book Brasília vive! [Brasilia Lives!]. Published by Livraria Kosmos Editora, the book was intended to show that the new capital was no longer an inhospitable place in the heart of Brazil.
From the 1940s on, Scheier photographed the work of modern architects based in São Paulo, such as Lina Bo Bardi, Gregori Warchavchik, Rino Levi and Oswaldo Bratke. His photographs of Brasilia’s public buildings on the ‘monumental axis’ focus on the extensive glass facades of Oscar Niemeyer’s buildings, exploring Niemeyer’s integration of the interior with the public space. In his photographs of the residential areas, the `residential axis`, the human element is the protagonist. Scheier`s photographs show children going to school in the middle of buildings under construction, people in the supermarkets and strolling through the shopping districts. In line with the developmental discourse of the time, Scheier`s Brasilia represents the promise of modernity and of better times for the country.
Captions – Brasília
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City Bus, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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Brasília Airport, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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President Juscelino Kubitschek at Lunch at the Brasília Palace Hotel, 1958
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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Wedding Guests Arrive in Brasília, 1958
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
5/6/7/8
Núcleo Bandeirante Region, Brasília, 1958
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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Street Photographer, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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Brasília Palace Hotel, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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The Planalto Palace, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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The National Congress Administrative Tower Block, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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The Federal Supreme Court, in the background the National Congress, to the left, and the Planalto Palace, on the right, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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The National Congress and Esplanade of Ministries seen from the Planalto Palace, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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The Ministry of Defense, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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Inside the National Congress, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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Veranda of a Semi-detached House on the Asa Sul, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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Children Playing in a City Block in the Asa Sul of Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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City Block in the Asa Sul, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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Street Traders in a City Block in the Asa Sul, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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Shopping Area on W3 Avenue, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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Central Bus Station, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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Street Photographer, Brasília, 1958
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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Shopping Area on W3 Avenue, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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Shopping Area on W3 Avenue; Semi-detached Houses in the Background, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
28-
View of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Nossa Senhora Aparecida under construction, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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View of the Esplanade of Ministries under Construction, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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Asa Sul, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
31/32/33
Outside a School on a City Block, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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W3 Avenue, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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Outside a School on a City Block, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION
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W3 Avenue, Brasília, 1960
PHOTOGRAPH ON PAPER, GELATIN AND SILVER
PRINTED IN 2019
INSTITUTO MOREIRA SALLES COLLECTION