'Lucio Costa Archive': an exhibition curated by Ana Vaz Milheiro

The exhibition Lucio Costa Archive draws on the personal collection of the renowned urban planner, which was donated by his family to the Casa da Arquitetura in 2021. Curated by Ana Vaz Milheiro in collaboration with Leonor Matos Silva (both researchers at DINÂMIA’CET-Iscte), Lucio Costa Archive opens on 18 April at Casa da Arquitetura, featuring two days of free activities, and will run until 13 September 2026.

Organised into six sections – "Family", "Writings", "Portugal, " Pilot Plan", "Brasília" and "Drawing" – Lucio Costa Archive constructs a journey richly illustrated by the urban planner and architect’s private life, yet opens windows onto other aspects and spheres of his public and professional life, notably the trips he made to our country between the 1940s and 1960s, partly documented in the famous Portugal Little Sketchbooks.

With the originals of the Pilot Plan of Brasília, rarely exhibited in Europe, at the heart of this exhibition, Lucio Costa Archive also proposes another challenge: that of “confronting the contemporary”, that is, the challenge of re-examining this legacy in light of the questions raised today regarding the motivations, influences and innovative drive of the man who created a new capital for Brazil and left an indelible mark on contemporary architecture.

The opening of the exhibition is accompanied by the launch of two books: a richly illustrated volume of the same name, which explores and expands on the collection, featuring essays and texts by Portuguese and Brazilian authors; and the book Raízes do Futuro: Lucio Costa e a tradição moderna, by Guilherme Wisnik, a completely revised edition of the original book published in 2001 by Cosac Naify, enriched with material from the Lucio Costa Collection / Casa da Arquitetura.

More Info and Opening Programme here