Harry Männil facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harry Männil
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Männil at the opening of KUMU art museum in February 2006.
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| Born | May 17, 1920 |
| Died | January 11, 2010 (aged 89) |
| Resting place | Costa Rica |
| Citizenship | Estonian, Venezuelan |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Entrepreneurship, art collecting |
| Spouse(s) | Masula D'Empaire |
| Children | 4 |
Harry Männil (born May 17, 1920 – died January 11, 2010) was an Estonian businessman and a big collector of art. He also helped support culture in many countries.
Harry Männil was very active in collecting art and giving money to good causes. He was especially known for his collection of art from before Christopher Columbus came to America (called pre-Columbian art). He was a director at the Caracas Athenaeum in Venezuela and an advisor for the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He also started the Eduard Wiiralt Gallery in the Estonian National Library.
Some people accused Männil of being involved in serious crimes during World War II. He was on a list of people wanted for these crimes. However, after a four-year investigation, Estonian police could not find any proof against him, and he was cleared of the accusations.
Contents
Biography
Early life and moving to new countries (1920–1946)
Harry Männil was born in Tallinn, Estonia, on May 17, 1920. His father sold iron. Harry grew up in Pääsküla, a part of Tallinn. He finished high school in 1938. From 1939 to 1940, he studied economics at the University of Tartu and the Tallinn University of Technology.
In the summer of 1941, when the Soviet Union took over Estonia, he hid in a forest to avoid being forced into the army. In September 1941, he worked for a short time with the political police during the German occupation. He left this job in June 1942. Later, he was accused of serious crimes from this time, but investigators found no evidence against him. After leaving the police, Männil continued his studies at the University of Tartu.
In October 1943, he escaped to Finland. The German Security Service thought he was politically dangerous because he was a student leader. In Finland, he studied business in Helsinki. He was accused of illegal trading, but he denied these claims.
Männil moved to Sweden in September 1944, hoping to continue his studies. He stayed in a refugee camp for a short time. He soon got permission to live and work in Stockholm. However, in November 1944, a complaint about his past involvement with the Nazis was made. Authorities investigated him. In September 1945, he lost his job. A month later, his permission to stay was not extended. Swedish authorities then encouraged him to leave the country.
Life in Venezuela (1946–2010)
Männil arrived in Maracaibo, Venezuela, in February 1946 with no money. He had a job contract to work for a company that later became part of BECO. He joined Beco, a department store. A group of investors bought Beco. These investors included Arnold Orav and other Estonians who, like Männil, were part of a student group called Vironia.
Arnold Orav started a new company, ACO Group, in 1951. This company eventually controlled a big part of Venezuela's car trade. Männil became a Venezuelan citizen in 1952. He became the chairman and CEO of the ACO Group. In the 1970s, ACO Group became the world's largest seller of tractors for John Deere Tractors in Venezuela. It also became the biggest car dealership in South America. The company's success was partly due to offering car financing to customers.
By 1983, the ACO Group was the fifth-largest private company in Venezuela. Due to economic problems in Venezuela, the company was reorganized in 1994. Männil left ACO and started a new company called Oriand. He owned Oriand Grupo Oriand until he died.
Männil was a member of the AEI World Forum, which was started by former US president Gerald Ford. Männil knew President Ford personally.
In 1990, Männil visited Estonia for the first time since 1943. He was invited by Vaino Väljas, whom he had met when Väljas was the Soviet ambassador to Venezuela. When Estonia became independent again (1990–1992), Männil was the president of the Prime Minister's Economy Friends Club. This club was made up of Estonian businessmen living abroad. They gave economic advice and helped explain Estonia's situation to Western countries.
Near the end of 2002, Männil had to move to Costa Rica for a while because of a big strike in Venezuela. His sons took over his businesses when he retired in 2003. Harry Männil passed away on January 11, 2010, in San José, Costa Rica. His ashes were placed in a small chapel on his ranch in Costa Rica.
Art collecting and cultural support
Männil was famous for collecting art and helping cultural projects in many countries. His interest in art began during World War II when he got some artworks by Eduard Wiiralt. In 1957, Männil started collecting pre-Columbian art (art from ancient American cultures). He eventually had the largest private collection of this art in Venezuela. In 1997, ARTnews magazine said his collection was one of the 200 most important private collections in the world.
Männil divided his art collection into three main types: pre-Columbian art, modern Latin American art, and art from South American Indigenous people. He also had some colonial art from the 17th and 18th centuries. Männil and his wife also helped the Guajiro Indians sell their textile artworks.
On July 22, 2010, after Harry Männil's death, authorities in Costa Rica searched his house in Heredia. They took 108 pieces of pre-Columbian art, including fourteen large stone spheres. Officials said the art might have been bought in a way that broke laws about old artifacts. The objects were taken to the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica in San José.
Harry Männil was the first director of the West Venezuela Water Sport Federation. He was also a director of the Caracas Athenaeum in Caracas and the Maracaibo Art Center. He was a member of the International Council of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Männil helped create the Eduard Wiiralt gallery at the Estonian National Library. He also started the Eduard Wiiralt Art Award in 1998.
Estonian writer Olev Remsu wrote a book about Harry Männil called Elitaarne mees (An Elite Man).
Honors and awards
From 1968 until he died, Männil was a Knight of Malta. He was also an honorary citizen of Thibodaux, Louisiana. The government of Venezuela gave him the Order of the Star of Carabobo and the Order of Francisco de Miranda. He also received the Order of the Polar Star from the King of Sweden.
Personal life
Harry Männil was the brother of geologist Ralf Männil. In 1955, he married Masula D'Empaire. She was the granddaughter of a successful businessman and banker named Samuel Belloso. Harry and Masula had four children.
Männil mainly lived in Caracas, Venezuela. But he also owned a ranch in Costa Rica, a farm in the Llanos region of Venezuela, and apartments in Paris and New York.
