This lecture will explore Oscar Niemeyer’s 1965 commission for this project developed in collaboration with French architects Paul Chemetov and Jean Deroche—members of the interdisciplinary collective Atelier d'urbanisme et d'architecture—and French constructeur Jean Prouvé. It will examine how this iconic building pushed the boundaries of representation and image manipulation to symbolize the aggiornamento (updating) of communism. The term aggiornamento, used by bishops and the media during the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), called for renewal within the Church. French historians of communism have also adopted this Italian term to highlight the mid-1960s effort to redefine Marxism and Communism globally, paralleling the ecumenical movement to reassert the Church’s global influence. In this lecture, Vanessa Grossman will explore the third chapter of her latest book, A Concrete Alliance: Communism and Modern Architecture in Postwar France (2024), situating this project within the broader context of her research. She will also reflect on her work as a historian and curator, highlighting her collaborative approach to curating exhibitions at institutions and venues worldwide, alongside her teaching and writing.
Bio: Vanessa Grossman is an architect, historian, and curator whose work examines the intersection of architecture with ideology, power, governance, and the pursuit of social and environmental justice. Her research investigates Cold War-era local and global practices, focusing on the geopolitical entanglement of architecture and politics in France and Brazil, while also addressing broader themes across Latin America and the Global South. Her next research project examines the history of architecture and resource extraction in the Amazon rainforest, where she lived as a child, with a focus on company towns,
Grossman is committed to collaborative approaches in researching, teaching, writing, and curating. She is the co-editor of Constructed Geographies: Paulo Mendes da Rocha (with Jean-Louis Cohen; Porto: Casa da Arquitectura, 2024, distributed by Yale University Press), Everyday Matters: Contemporary Approaches to Architecture (with Ciro Miguel; Berlin: Ruby Press, 2021), AUA, une architecture de l'engagement, 1960–1985 (with Jean-Louis Cohen; Paris: Cité de l'architecture/Éditions Dominique Carré, 2015) and Modernity: Promise or Menace? France, 101 buildings, 1914–2014 (with Jean-Louis Cohen; Paris: Institut français/Éditions Dominique Carré, 2014). She is also the co-author of Oscar Niemeyer en France. Un exil créatif (with Benoît Pouvreau; Paris: Éditions du patrimoine, 2021) and the author of Le PCF a changé! Niemeyer et le siège du Parti Communiste (Paris: Éditions B2, 2013) and A arquitetura e o urbanismo revisitados pela Internacional Situacionista (São Paulo: Annablume/FAPESP, 2006).
Grossman has co-curated symposia and exhibitions at venues around the world, including the Centro Cultural São Paulo, the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine in Paris, São Paulo’s Sesc 24 de Maio, the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University. In addition to her curatorial work, Grossman has been appointed Exhibitions Review Editor for the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (JSAH, 2023–2026). Grossman is an Assistant Professor of the History and Theory of Architecture at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania.
NB: because entrance to campus currently requires a Columbia ID, please reach out to Matthew Lopez ([email protected]) by Monday, April 21 if you require guest access this event. Due to campus restrictions we are unable to honor last-minute requests.
