In 1927, in the Brazilian city of Recife, a boy named Francisco Brennandwas born into a family of Irish immigrants. His talent was first noticed by school teachers when he drew caricatures of them. In high school, the young man became more and more interested in drawing and sculpture. Later he started to learn from real artists, one of which was the famous Brazilian master Murillo La Greca. He was deeply interested in oil paintings by Gauguin, Miro, and Matisse. Already at the age of 20, Francisco Brennand became a participant in the art competition of the State Museum of Pernambuco. He won the first prize for a landscape from childhood memories. The following year, the artist again participated in this competition. This time, he sent five of his works at once and received two awards. Later, Francisco Brennand left Brazil and spent several years traveling to European countries: visiting museums and galleries, studying the works of old masters, and learning from contemporaries. During his travels in Italy, the art of ceramics won his heart forever.

In 1962, he created one of his best works - a ceramic panel called Batalha dos Guararapes. In 1971, he began large-scale work on his workshop. The artist renovated the old brick and tile factory Cerâmica São João da Várzea and began working on a grandiose thematic project of ceramic sculptures on its territory.

Today, the Francisco Brennand Ceramics Workshop is a huge complex containing more than 2 thousand sculptures and paintings. The building area of ​​15 sq km is surrounded by the remnants of the rainforest. And the entire space of the workshop looks like a lost sacred city with statues of mysterious mythical creatures and characters from the books of the artist’s favorite authors - Jorge Luis Borges and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

This is not just a museum of works by Francisco Brennand. It is an active workshop of modern Brazilian sculptors and ceramists and one of the most important cultural centers of the city.