The career of Luiz Paulo Conde spanned both the urban drafting board and the state political office within Rio de Janeiro. Balancing a practice in architecture with several high-level administrative roles, he occupied positions ranging from municipal secretary to mayor during a period of significant development in the Brazilian city between the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
Architectural Foundation
Conde graduated from the National Architecture School of the University of Brazil in 1959. Early in his professional life, he contributed to the development of the Rio Museum of Modern Art, working as a collaborator under Affonso Eduardo Reidy. His professional standing in the field grew over the decades, leading to his selection as a judge for the design competition of the Musée du quai Branly in Paris, where he evaluated proposals from architects including Norman Foster, Jean Nouvel, Peter Eisenman, and Christian de Portzamparc. His body of work was the subject of the 1994 book, Luiz Paulo Conde: Um Arquiteto Carioca, which debuted at the Quito Panamerican Biennial.
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He later ascended to the office of Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, serving a term from 1997 to 2001. His political career continued in various state-level capacities, including roles as State Secretary of Government Articulation under Anthony Garotinho, and State Secretary of Environment and Urban Development under Rosinha Garotinho. Between 2003 and 2007, he served as the Vice Governor of Rio de Janeiro. He later held the position of State Secretary of Culture under Sérgio Cabral and served as president of Furnas from August 2007 until September 2008.
Personal Life and Final Years
Born in 1934 in Rio de Janeiro, Conde was the fourth son of Jose Ramon Conde Rivas, a Spanish industrial entrepreneur, and Amália Lorenzo Fernández, a musician of Spanish ancestry. He was the nephew of the composer Oscar Lorenzo Fernández. During his youth, he attended the Lafayette and Mello e Souza High Schools. In 1959, he married Eliza Rizzo, an architect and plastic artist. The couple had three children: Marcelo, Marcos, and Maria Eliza. In his later years, Conde was treated for prostate cancer at the Samaritano Hospital in the Botafogo district. He died on 21 July 2015 at the age of 80.
Fast facts
- Born: 1934, Rio de Janeiro
- Died: 21 July 2015, Rio de Janeiro
- Spouse: Eliza Rizzo
- Mayor of Rio de Janeiro: 1997–2001
- Vice Governor of Rio de Janeiro: 2003–2007
- President of Furnas: 2007–2008
Questions readers ask
What was Luiz Paulo Conde's primary profession?
He was trained as an architect, graduating from the National Architecture School in 1959, and concurrently pursued a career in politics.
Did Conde hold any political offices outside of Rio de Janeiro's mayoral administration?
Yes, he served as the Vice Governor of Rio de Janeiro from 2003 to 2007 and held multiple state secretary positions.
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