The Itamaraty Palace
- Itamaraty Palace
Designed by Oscar Niemeyer and inaugurated in 1970, the Itamaraty Palace is the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the design conception, Ambassador Wladimir Murtinho was in charge of informing the architect about the needs that had to be addressed. The partnership was so successful that, up to today, no structural changes have been made to the building for they have not been necessary. The structural calculation, which allowed for the construction of an impressive main hall, free of columns, was carried out by engineer Joaquim Cardoso.
The Itamaraty Palace was conceived with the purpose of introducing Brazil to foreign visitors; therefore, it was built only with national materials and their halls harbor works by Brazilian or naturalized Brazilian artists exclusively, such as Athos Bulcão, Alfredo Volpi, Bruno Giorgi, Frans Krajcberg, Franz Weissmann, Maria Martins, Mary Vieira, Iberê Camargo, Ione Saldanha, Rubem Valentim, Sérgio de Camargo, and Tomie Ohtake. The landscaping is authored by Roberto Burle Marx.