Recife, Brazil - May 1999

One of the best known secrets of the city of Recife is the humble, but foreboding, Olaria de Brennand, the estate of world-renowned ceramic artist, Francisco Brennand.

With decades of ceramic artistry under his belt, Brennand has constructed a massive fortress-museum covered entirely with ceramic. Surrounded by pristine forest a few kilometers outside of the central city, the Olaria de Brennand is definitely one of the must-sees of Recife.

During my three-week stay in Recife, I decided to go and check out this place about which everybody kept telling me.

Driving down a long and winding dirt road to the estate, the bustle of the city faded behind me and I was suddenly immersed in a lush forest. I felt like I had not only left Recife but the entire Northeast.

Then there it was before me — a large fountain with a defiant maiden towering above, beckoning you to enter the grounds. As I entered the gates I witnessed my first glimpse of the fortress — a visual barrage of grotesque and mythical creatures, all protecting the people within like Brazilian gargoyles. The formidable walls loomed high, contesting the sun for its territory.

Walking into the courtyard, a sense of pure awe and exhilaration swept through me as I gazed upon the magnificent structures. Many of them were, in fact, downright perverted — complete with phalluses and large breasts.

The word bizarre definitely comes to mind walking through this place, in which there was also an exquisite pond complete with black swans!

After almost an hour of meandering in disbelief among ceramic snakes, lizards, leopards, and naked bodies, I finally made it to the end of the courtyard and entered the museum, where I happened upon the individual works of art.

Housing thousands of works inside, the museum was even more massive than the courtyard. Little rooms with strange lights were hidden away in corners, and large halls with immense organo-mechanical pieces loomed proudly over their visitors.

Ceramic left no surface bare or untouched. Many of the pieces continued the trend of phalluses, breasts, and buttocks, along with the fantastical animals and monsters.

A tour group was following a distinguished-looking gentleman around the museum, and judging by his knowledge and powerful speech, I knew it had to be the man himself — Francisco Brennand.

I had heard that he was an elusive character that would occasionally come out and give tours of his place. This was one of those lucky days.

For the most part, of the Portuguese that I did understand, he seemed to claim passion and individualism to be the most important aspects of his work. I couldn't disagree.

The Olaria de Brennand is open Monday-Thursday 8:00am-5:00pm, and Friday 8:00am-4:00pm.

To get there, take the bus marked 'Caxanga' from the center of the city. This takes you 10 km to the Caxanga bus terminal, from which you can walk to the Olaria.

Follow the street away from the city and over the bridge (the estate lies on the west bank of Rio Capibaribe, directly west of the city center). Turn left at the first road (there is a statue of Padre Cícero here). Walk down for a little while, past some dingy-looking hotels, until you come to an eyesore of a housing project. Turn left at the T-junction and continue for about a mile until you get to the museum grounds.

Since the walk takes about 1 hour, I would not recommend going there by this method unless you are in a group of people.

The surrounding areas are very poor and devoid of police presence. Instead, take a taxi from the Caxanga bus station or even central Recife. If you're lucky, you can make a friend in the city who can give you a ride!

For more information, contact the Oficina Ceramica de Francisco Brennand (Phone: 271-2466).

Street musicians will also come up and sing to you for a dime—although not always in a flattering manner!