The Oficina Brennand in Recife, Brazil
Located on the outskirts of Recife (Eastern tip of Brazil), the Oficina Brennand is accessible through a long dirt road that cuts through a tropical jungle. At the end of this path appear two beautiful industrial brick buildings surrounded by a series of busts of unknown soldiers. Or is it an army of phalli? The place is well guarded!
It was in 1971 that Brazilian sculptor Francisco Brennand took over the old abandoned family ceramic factory created by his father in 1917 and decided to use it as a sculpture studio.
From then on, Francisco Brennand worked relentlessly. The title of his prospectus “Oficina Brennand, the master of dreams” (Oficina Brennand, Mestre dos Sonhos) takes on its full meaning. Each new piece, signed and dated, is still an expression of his passion and determination to give life to this place.
Sanctuary or temple? Here is a place that takes you on a journey, where each work is a strange blend of animal, human, vegetal and fantasy. Today, with their slightly faded colors, a certain melancholy emanates from them. They are lined up as remnants of a past marked by grandiose festivities and abundance.
A colonnade, ornate with creatures resembling roosters, leads us toward a new group of sculptures, with a fountain and a basin. On one side, part of the factory has been transformed into a museum and unveils, with religious music in the background, hundreds of artworks, lined up, one after the other, room after room. On the other side, through a small opening in an exterior wall, a more meticulously landscaped garden shelters a few more pieces and leads the visitor to one of the new buildings, designed and built by the artist and covered with tiles. Here, one can discover his pictorial work and attend conferences on the different aspects of his work and career.
At the end of a long and slow visit, whether or not you are sensitive to his universe, Brennand’s work remains undeniably intriguing. The grounds, the number of works on display, the fantasy and the extravagance of this improbable ensemble make this visit unlike any other.
Oficina Brennand
Propriedade Santos Cosme e Damião
Rua Diogo de Vasconcellos
PE, 50740-970
Recife, Brazil
