When global icons like Tom Cruise, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, or Brigitte Bardot wanted to drop off the map for a bit, they headed to the same unlikely refuge: a secluded private island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro owned by the late plastic surgeon Dr. Ivo Pitanguy.
Set amid the brilliant blue waters of the Atlantic, the 75-acre Pitanguy Island served for decades as the legendary doctor’s intensely private sanctuary, welcoming an A-list roster of guests while remaining almost entirely out of the public eye. Dubbed the “Michelangelo of the scalpel,” Pitanguy is famous for pioneering the so-called Brazilian butt lift in the 1960s. He is equally remembered for his humanitarian work, providing free reconstructive surgeries to impoverished burn victims.
When he purchased the undeveloped island in 1973, it was known as Ilha dos Porcos Grande (Big Pig’s Island) because of its boar-like silhouette. Working alongside architect Paulo Coelho, Pitanguy spent decades reshaping the terrain into gently rolling hills and building six futuristic bungalows whose sweeping curves were purposefully designed to echo the contours of the human body.
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