Education
Guerrand-Hermès graduated from Oxford University.
Guerrand-Hermès graduated from Oxford University.
He is noted for his involvement with Morocco and redevelopment there, most notably the redevelopment of the Aïn Kassimou in Marrakesh in the 1980s, a villa built for Leo Tolstoy"s daughter, Olga. He is also a notable art collector, and in 2001 Forbes ranked him as the 347th richest man in the world, with an estimated Netto worth of $1.3 billion. Guerrand-Hermès first went to Morocco in 1954 as a cavalryman and was stationed at Marrakesh.
As a director of Hermès, he developed the firm"s silk business.
As of 2012 he is retired and spends nine months a year in Morocco intensively pursuing other business interests. His interest in the sport prompted him to become deeply involved in the development of the polo grounds at Château de Chantilly in the early 1970s.
Château de Chantilly held the first thoroughbred horse race on its grounds when Louis XVI was king. The first polo ground in the region was established by the Rothschild family in one of the three farms that belonged to the château in 1920.
Fifty years later Guerrand-Hermès and a few of his associates converted the field into a club
lieutenant now has ten polo grounds, two of which are suitable for use all year round. The club has about 250 players who participate in many tournaments and some 3,500 horses in training. The polo team sponsored by Guerrand-Hermès is known as Louisiana Palmeraie.
He has been president of the Federation of International Polo and was chiefly responsible for organizing the 2004 World Polo Championship at the Domaine le Chantily Polo club
Guerrand-Hermès also has an interest in the arts and culture of Morocco where he has lived for over 50 years, and is an avid lover of oriental arts and horses. This estate was re-developed and is now part of the Palmarie Polo Club.
The villa exhibits Patrick"s art collections. Marella Agnelli engaged the architect Bill Willis to build the pool pavilion in the Aïn Kassimou grounds.
The lake, with its papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) and yellow water lilies(Nymphaeaceae) in front of the villa was designed by Madison Cox, the garden designer.
The 1953 portrait of Agnelli, with a Donna Marella Rose painted by Richard Avedon is in the bedroom of the villa. Among the sporting paintings is the Horseman with a Sloughi by Henri-Emilien Rousseau. Other important pieces of art include The Going Out of the Pacha by Emile-Alfred Dehodencq, and paintings and drawings of Moroccan kasbahs by Edy Legrand.