Juan Abelló

Juan Abelló Gallo
Born	1941 Madrid, Spain
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, art collector
Known for	Founder of Torreal; prominent Spanish entrepreneur and art enthusiast

Juan Abelló Gallo (born 1941) is a prominent Spanish entrepreneur and art enthusiast. As of March 2021, Forbes valued his fortune at approximately $3 billion. By 2023, CEO World Magazine positioned him as Spain’s seventh wealthiest individual, estimating his net assets at $2.8 billion.

Early life

Abelló was born in Madrid in 1941, the son of Juan Abello Pascual, a pharmacist. He completed both his bachelor's degree in 1963 and doctorate in pharmacy in 1978 at the Complutense University of Madrid.

Career

In 1966, Abelló assumed the role of Managing Director at Antibióticos, S.A., the family-owned pharmaceutical company established in 1919, which had secured Spain’s inaugural license for opioid-based drugs since 1934. Two decades later, in 1986, he orchestrated the sale of Antibióticos along with other pharmaceutical holdings to Montedison, while maintaining control over Alergia e Inmunología Abelló, S.A. and Alcaloides, S.A.

He founded Torreal in 1990, a privately held global investment firm with a portfolio exceeding 25 companies spanning various industries and regions.

Via Torreal, Abelló made an investment in Investindustrial in 2013; this entity owned a 37.5% equity interest in the car manufacturer Aston Martin. In 2018, Torreal collaborated with the UK-based fund GHO to establish Linneo Health, specializing in products derived from cannabis.

In 2018, Miguel Abelló Gamazo, his son, was named executive vice-president of Torreal, and by 2020 he had succeeded his father as company president.

Art collector

Abelló’s art collection comprises around 500 pieces showcasing works by renowned artists such as Francisco Goya, El Greco, Edgar Degas, Pablo Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec, Salvador Dalí, and Vincent van Gogh. Among his notable holdings are one of the final major triptychs by Francis Bacon, Triptych 1983 (1983), along with the smaller triptych titled Three Studies for a Portrait of Peter Beard (1975).

Personal life

He is married to Ana Isabel Gamazo y Hohenlohe-Langenburg, who is the granddaughter of Prince Max Egon from the Hohenlohe-Langenburg lineage. The couple has four children. Additionally, Abelló is recognized for his passion for deer hunting.