Ricardo Brennand
Ricardo Brennand | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 27, 1927 Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Pernambuco, Brazil |
| Died | April 25, 2020 (aged 92) Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, engineer, art collector |
| Years active | 1949–2020 |
| Known for | Founder of the Ricardo Brennand Institute |
Ricardo Coimbra de Almeida Brennand (27 May 1927 – 25 April 2020) was a prominent Brazilian entrepreneur, engineer, and art enthusiast originating from Pernambuco. He established the Ricardo Brennand Institute in 2002, which holds the largest private collection of Frans Post artworks globally and was recognized as the 17th-best museum worldwide by TripAdvisor in 2014.
Early life
Ricardo was born in Cabo de Santo Agostinho to Antônio Luiz de Almeida Brennand and Dulce Padilha Coimbra, relocating to Recife in 1930. He attended Colégio Marista between 1937 and 1942, where he became proficient in German and English, reflecting his British heritage. His interest in collecting weapons and paintings began early, sparked by a pocketknife his father gave him. He earned degrees in civil and mechanical engineering from the Federal University of Pernambuco in 1949.
Business career
Together with his cousin Cornélio Brennand, Ricardo oversaw their family’s industrial enterprises spanning glass, steel, ceramics, cement, porcelain, and sugar production. In 1999, they divested their cement operations to the Portuguese firm Cimpor for US$590 million. Part of these funds enabled Ricardo to create the Ricardo Brennand Institute in 2001. Disagreements regarding the Cimpor transaction resulted in the division of their joint ventures into separate entities.
Following the institute’s foundation, Brennand concentrated on energy sector investments, especially in wind and hydroelectric power. He re-entered the cement industry in 2009 and subsequently invested in real estate projects, including financing the Reserva do Paiva residential development in Cabo de Santo Agostinho. In 2019, his group allocated R$450 million to develop three wind farms in Bahia, with intentions to expand into solar energy.
The Ricardo Brennand Institute’s collection encompasses artifacts from the Late Middle Ages through to contemporary times, featuring significant historical documents and artworks related to colonial Brazil and Dutch Brazil. It notably includes an extensive assortment of works by Dutch painter Frans Post. Many acquisitions were made through auctions and private sales; a pivotal trip to England in 1952 greatly enhanced the museum’s weapons collection. The institute hosted Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands during her visit in 2003.
In 2019, Forbes estimated Brennand’s net worth at R$3.1 billion, positioning him as Brazil’s second-oldest billionaire at that time.
Personal life
Ricardo Brennand was married to Graça Monteiro Brennand and fathered eight children. He was also related to the ceramic artist Francisco Brennand as his cousin.
He passed away on 25 April 2020 at age 92 at Real Hospital Português in Recife, succumbing to complications from COVID-19 amid the pandemic. His death prompted tributes from Pernambuco governor Paulo Câmara and Recife mayor Geraldo Júlio, with the latter declaring three days of official mourning.