After graduating in 1960, Ruy Ohtake has practiced architecture for over five decades, having worked alongside other major names in Brazilian architecture, such as Vilanova Artigas and Paulo Mendes da Rocha. Until the mid-1980s, his work was characterized by projects closely aligned with what was being produced in São Paulo at the time—a highly Brutalist architecture, defined by a limited material palette and a well-defined vocabulary.
- The Misunderstanding That Led Ruy Ohtake to Heliópolis in São Paulo
- Tomie Ohtake Residence / Ruy Ohtake
However, from that period onward, Ohtake's work underwent a unique transformation, unseen in other architects of the time. Filled with colors and easily identifiable icons—such as the Hotel Unique or the Tomie Ohtake Institute headquarters—his designs took on a popular appeal, winning over the general public (and earning various nicknames), but at the cost of frequent criticism from fellow architects.
In an interview with Eduardo Sombini, Ohtake discusses the genesis of modernism in Brazil, his admiration for the work of Niemeyer and Aleijadinho, and why architects do not like his work:
"The public likes my work very much, but architects do not. At first, I was concerned because the architectural intelligentsia stirred up controversy. There is an establishment here, and I took a step forward. Any break from the status quo creates controversy among those in the vanguard, but art and architecture advance in leaps."
Read the full interview in Folha de S. Paulo.
This article was written by Romullo Baratto. The translation is powered by AI.
