Architect Oscar Niemeyer was born on December 15, 1907, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He passed away on December 5, 2012.
He graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the National University of Arts of Rio de Janeiro in 1934. He began working at an architectural firm in 1935, where he was involved in the design of the former Ministry of Education and Health building. It was during this time that he met Le Corbusier, known as the "father of modernist architecture." In 1940, he met Joscelino Kubitschek, then mayor of Belo Horizonte, and participated in a development plan for the Pampulha Lakeside area. After World War II, in 1952, he worked with Corbusier and others to design the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
From 1956 to 1960, at the invitation of Brazilian President Kubitschek, he designed major buildings in the new capital, Brasilia, including the Presidential Palace, the National Congress, and the Supreme Court. His architecture makes extensive use of what Niemeyer called "free curves."
Under Brazil's military regime from the 1960s to the mid-1980s, he was banned from designing due to his left-wing political leanings. He therefore went into exile in Paris in 1967 and spent the next 20 years based in France. He designed in Brazil, Italy, Algeria, and other parts of the world.
After the restoration of civilian rule, he returned to his hometown of Rio de Janeiro and resumed his design career. Starting in 1984, he designed 200 educational centers for slum children. He continued to design projects, including the Niterói Contemporary Art Museum, which is inspired by flowers, and the Oscar Niemeyer Museum, which resembles a giant eyeball. He died of pneumonia on December 5, 2012, at the age of 104.

JIL SANDER's 2013-2014 AW collection proposes a sculptural and minimalist style, inspired by the beautiful curves of his architectural works.