Instituto Ricardo Brennand (Ricardo Brennand Institute), Recife

The Instituto Ricardo Brennand was founded in 2002 to house a private collection focused on the colonial period and the 17th-century Dutch presence in northeastern Brazil. It functions as both a museum and research space, and holds the largest collection of works by Frans Post, one of the first European landscape painters in the Americas.

The complex includes several buildings with medieval-inspired architecture, centered on a castle that houses the main galleries. It also holds one of the world’s largest armory collections, with about 3,000 pieces from Europe and Asia dating from the 14th to the 19th centuries, including swords, armor, and ceremonial weapons.

In addition to its exhibition spaces, the institute includes a library with tens of thousands of volumes dating from the 16th to the 20th century, including a collection of brasiliana and other rare works. The surrounding park includes gardens, lakes, and paths linking the buildings, with sculptures placed throughout, including works by Auguste Rodin and Fernando Botero. Educational programs, lectures, and temporary exhibitions are held regularly.