Reviving Rio's Bygone Glamour

 

Last week, a small group of friends (social distancing obliged) went to visit a grand but mysterious mansion in the chic suburb of Jardim Botẩnico.  The privately owned Brando Barbosa mansion was the setting of the annual CasaCor event[1].  CasaCor showcases the creations of famous architects and interior designers and also displays landscaping exhibitions.  It started in Sẩo Paulo in 1987 and now takes place in major cities of Brazil and Latin America.  In 2017, Miami launched its own CasaCor on the same concept.  The CasaCor event is usually hosted in mansions or other eye-catching venues.  It is now the largest exhibition of its kind in the Americas.  In pre-pandemic days, it attracted over half a million visitors globally.  It is a fashionable and sometimes over-the-top event where one can mingle with the well-heeled locals.

The individual displays were dazzling, creatively bold and technologically trendy, as well as highlighting the outstanding and glamorous venue.  Over the years, CasaCor has become my annual interior decoration ritual.  Needless to say, the exhibits are beyond my budget and far too large for my one-bedroom apartment.  This fact makes me less interested in the show itself and more in the venues which are usually private.  The Brando Barbosa estate occupies a 12 000 sq meters block in the uphill and upscale part of Jardim Botẩnico.  It is walled and previously, one could only guess what lies behind these high walls.  Passing through the gate, the view of the mansion leaves the visitor amazed.  The building incorporates the 1860 antebellum home of a former coffee plantation, the Chácacra da Floresta.  During the Brazilian empire (1822-1889), the hills around the city of Rio de Janeiro were covered by coffee plantations.  By the end of the empire coffee production had gradually move to the Sẩo Paulo region.  At the turn of the 19^th century, the house became the home of the Brazilian physician and pioneer bacteriologist Oswaldo Cruz.  It is worth mentioning that he founded the Oswaldo Cruz Institute which is now manufacturing the AstraZeneca Oxford Covid-19 vaccine. 

The estate came out of its slumber in the 1960s when it was purchased by the celebrity couple Jorge and Odaléa Brando Barbosa.  They had married in grand style in 1945.  Legend has it that Jorge had noticed the 16-year-old Odaléa walking her dog near the iconic Copacabana Palace and fell in love on the spot.  He was an engineer but made his fortune in banking; Jorge and Odaléa formed a chic and good-looking couple.  They spent more than ten years enhancing the estate, respecting the colonial baroque style of the original house, which was greatly enlarged.  The area was landscaped and a large pool was dug.  The estate is nicknamed the Taj Mahal because, like the Mughal Shah Jahan, Jorge offered it to his wife. Odaléa was an elegant hostess and a savvy collector of sacred art from the colonial period. The couple’s social events attracted the beautiful people of the day as well as many politicians and visiting personalities.  

                                                                  Odalea and Jorge in the 1960s

From the 1920s on Rio, the then capital of Brazil, attracted curious Europeans captivated by its exotic landscapes and the opulent lifestyle of its elite.  The impressive Copacabana Palace on the beach of the same name was the hotel where one went to relax, gamble and be seen. During the Second World War, acknowledging the strategic importance of Brazil, the American government sent diplomats, businessmen and even artists to Rio.  Probably the most famous visitor was Orson Welles.  In 1942, the freshly minted Hollywood’s golden boy and goodwill ambassador was sent to Rio by the U.S. government.  His task was to shoot a film to foster cultural exchanges with Latin America and improve relations with Brazil. The ultimate aim of President Roosevelt was to lure the country into the war effort.  With expenses paid by Uncle Sam, Welles went wild in Rio on the pretense of filming Carnival and The History of Samba.  After six months of heavy partying, messy shooting and accidents, Welles left Brazil with his film “It’s All True” unfinished.  In the 1960s some of the forgotten footage was dumped into the Pacific Ocean.   

The 1940s were the beginning of Rio’s golden age, attracting the “who’s who” of Hollywood and European cinema.  Throngs of celebrities in search of adventures, thrills and fun flocked to Rio.  Walt Disney, Rita Hayworth, Clark Gable, Katerine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Jane Mansfield, Brigitte Bardot, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak were among the international celebrities who frolicked in the glamorous Copacabana Palace and were welcome guests of the local glitterati.  Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sarte, the French power couple of philosophy were guests at the “Copa”. The partying lasted until the late 1960s when the government of Brazil abandoned Rio and founded Brasilia as its new capital.  The city fell on hard times and particularly during Carnival, become the playground of mass tourism.  

Jorge and Odaléa had comfortably settled in their sprawling mansion in Jardim Botẩnico and were entertaining in style. The couple was childless and devoted its energy to building an impressive collection of antiques.  One exquisite item is the Carrara marble bathtub of the last empress of Brazil, the Italian princess Teresa Cristina.  During the CasaCor event, the bathtub was one of the outstanding items of the exhibits.  Jorge passed away in 2002 and Odaléa decided to establish the Brando Barbosa Institute to convert the house into a museum on the model of the Frick collection in New York city. Odaléa lived in the mansion until her death in 2019 at age 91.

The Brando Barbosa estate is a landmark of the state of Rio de Janeiro and cannot be modified. The 6000 items in the collection are under the curation and care of the Sacred Art Institute of Sẩo Paulo.  A famous businessman cum lawmaker has been nominated to run the Brando Barbosa Institute.  Funds are needed to preserve the estate and to open and run the museum.  Projects are being implemented to this end. The dazzling CasaCor exhibition is the first of them.  Ventures of this scale are never straight forward and the notorious Brazilian red tape as well as unexpected glitches make the task even harder. Apparently, Jorge had an illegitimate son in America who now seeks a piece of the action.  I do not want to sound pessimistic, but I very much doubt that I shall have a chance to step again in the mansion, a vivid reminder of the bygone glamour of Rio de Janeiro.    

 

 

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[1] https://photos.app.goo.gl/EhHwdmAGxZPGsZjt5