Marcel Gautherot, the ideal architectural photographer, made an epic undertaking in the late 1950s – photographing every step of the construction of the city of Brasilia, from untouched grassland to modern capital.

Gautherot photographed not only every stage of construction, but also the faces and homes of the workers. The result is a monumental and radical photo essay on this triumph of urban planning and architecture.



Gautherot had studied architecture and design, and was influenced by Le Corbusier and other modernists as well as the political radicalism of the period. Postwar, he devoted his life to travel and photography, taking with him the formal rigour of modernism and also a sympathy for ordinary people.



Moving to Brazil in 1940, he forged many friendships, most notably with Oscar Niemeyer, the chief architect of Brasilia, becoming Niemeyer’s photographer of choice.

For the first time, the photographs are collected to form a portfolio of Gautherot’s work in Brasilia, celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the city’s inauguration.

All images © Marcel Gautherot