Two men crouching and a woman standing with National Congress building in background, Brazil,

Over four decades photojournalist René Burri traveled frequently to Brazil’s capital, Brasilia, to document the development of the city and its inhabitants. Here, Burri offers an intimate glimpse of three people gazing at the iconic towers of the National Congress. Built in 1960 by architect Oscar Niemeyer, this structure embodied a mid-century ethos of rationality and functionality. Are these new residents of Brasilia contemplating their surround-ings, indigenous Brazilians taking in the transformation of the site where their homes once stood, or construction workers reflecting on their labor? With this photograph, Burri composed a portrait of the city that monumentalizes humans and buildings alike.