Lota de Macedo Soares

Lota de Macedo Soares was a prominent Brazilian landscape architect and designer, best known for her masterwork, the modernist Flamengo Park in Rio de Janeiro. Her life was profoundly intertwined with that of the celebrated American poet Elizabeth Bishop, with whom she shared a long-term partnership. Soares was a central figure in the mid-century cultural and intellectual circles of Brazil, navigating the complex political landscape while leaving a significant mark on urban planning and design.

Early life and background

Born in Paris to a distinguished Brazilian diplomatic family, Maria Carlota Costallat de Macedo Soares spent her early years between Europe and Rio de Janeiro. Her family's social standing provided her with extensive exposure to international art and culture, which deeply influenced her aesthetic sensibilities. She received a broad, cosmopolitan education, though she was largely self-taught in the principles of design and architecture, developing a keen interest in modernism and the integration of built environments with natural landscapes. This background positioned her within the elite social and artistic circles of Brazil during a period of intense national modernization.

Relationship with Elizabeth Bishop

In 1951, Soares met the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Elizabeth Bishop in New York City, beginning a transformative romantic and creative partnership that lasted over fifteen years. Bishop relocated to Brazil, and the couple lived primarily at Soares’s modernist house, the Casa do Samambaia, in the mountains near Petrópolis. Their home became a renowned salon for a diverse array of guests, including other literary figures like Robert Lowell and Aldous Huxley, as well as leading Brazilian artists and intellectuals. This period was one of immense productivity for Bishop, who credited the stability and inspiration of her life with Soares for some of her finest work, though their relationship was also marked by intense personal struggles and differing temperaments.

Architectural and design career

Soares’s most enduring professional achievement was her visionary leadership in the design and construction of Flamengo Park (Parque do Flamengo), a massive land reclamation and urban park project in Rio de Janeiro. Appointed by Carlos Lacerda, the governor of the former State of Guanabara, she collaborated with a team that included the renowned architect Affonso Eduardo Reidy. The park, a landmark of modernist architecture and landscape architecture, transformed the city’s waterfront and remains a vital public space. Her work reflected a commitment to social utility and aesthetic rigor, blending expansive green areas with recreational facilities and modernist structures, significantly shaping the urban fabric of Rio de Janeiro.

Later years and death

The later years of Soares’s life were fraught with professional pressures and personal turmoil. Political conflicts with the administration of Carlos Lacerda and the immense stress of managing the Flamengo Park project took a severe toll on her health. In an attempt to salvage her relationship with Elizabeth Bishop, which had become strained, she traveled to New York City in 1967. There, in Bishop’s apartment on Lewis Wharf in Boston was planned but she was in New York, she suffered a catastrophic overdose of barbiturates and died on September 25, 1967. Her death was ruled a suicide, marking a tragic end to a life of considerable influence and creativity.

Legacy and cultural impact

Lota de Macedo Soares is remembered as a pioneering figure in Brazilian landscape architecture and a key patron of the arts. Flamengo Park stands as her most tangible legacy, a protected site and a beloved feature of Rio de Janeiro. Her life with Elizabeth Bishop has been the subject of significant biographical and scholarly attention, explored in works such as Carmen L. Oliveira's book and the film Reaching for the Moon. Soares’s story illuminates the vibrant cultural exchange between North America and Latin America in the mid-20th century and the often-unheralded role of women in shaping the modernist landscapes of Brazil.

Category:Brazilian landscape architects Category:1967 deaths Category:1910 births