The Jameos del Agua Auditorium experienced one of its great nights with the presentation of the book ‘César Manrique y Haría. The artist and the beauty of the place’, written by Francisco Galante, Professor of Art History at the University of La Laguna, member of the Advisory Committee of the César Manrique Foundation and, without a doubt, one of the greatest and most profound connoisseurs of the life and artistic career of the Lanzarote artist.
Galante was accompanied by the Minister of Culture of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Alberto Aguiar; the Rector of the University of La Laguna, Rosa Aguilar; the Mayor of Haría, Evelia García; the CEO of the Tourist Centers, Benjamín Perdomo; representatives of the César Manrique Foundation, workers and former workers of the Tourist Centers and friends and acquaintances of the artist.
A documentary film served to welcome the attendees.
The Minister of Culture of the First Island Institution, Alberto Aguiar, thanked Galante for “introducing us to a more unknown facet of César Manrique through this documented, detailed and enriching literary portrait that contextualizes the extraordinary symbiosis that existed between an artist and this municipality reflected here, in Jameos del Agua, better than in any other place”.
«Manrique chose to live in Haría because, he said, here he could develop a more harmonious and peaceful life. Here he not only created beauty, with works such as the Mirador del Río, the Máguez hermitage, the Malpaso viewpoint or his Wind toy of Arrieta, but he also generated jobs and wealth for the sons and daughters of the municipality».
“His work is so impressive that it is not possible to understand Lanzarote without his contributions. César Manrique, his thought and his work, will continue to accompany us in the challenges we have towards the future,” highlighted Aguiar, who did not want to finish without referring to the César Manrique Foundation, “depositary of the artist's work and legacy, beacon and watchman through a fruitful cultural policy and a solid commitment to the territory.”
For her part, Rosa Aguilar highlighted the excellences of a bibliographic work of “very high level”, and recalled that the Tenerife university center will teach the César Manrique cultural chair that will serve to publicize the thought and work of this Lanzarote genius after an agreement signed with the Cabildo of Lanzarote.
The Mayor of the Haría City Council, Evelia García, pointed out that “César Manrique knew how to value the natural and heritage beauty that the municipality of Haría treasures, endowing it with an unprecedented artistic dimension. The sensitivity shown in each of his spatial interventions allows us to appreciate and feel the unique beauty of our closest environment. The relationship between César Manrique and Haría was always very special and, therefore, Haría will continue to be the faithful guardian of his legacy and memory.”
Nilo Palenzuela, writer and Professor of Spanish Literature at the University of La Laguna, reviewed the content of a prologue that concludes “Manrique's dream and utopia become the reverse of the environmental catastrophe. The artist proclaims beauty. He revolts against speculation and does so with his work, with his shared dream. It is this dream that reaches his young friend Francisco Galante, now with the age of his old teacher. It is the dream that is expressed in César Manrique y Haría. The artist and the beauty of the place, a book of knowledge, and also of resistance”.
Francisco Galante, for his part, revealed to the public the motivations that prompted him to work on this new literary work and outlined a rigorous and meticulous synopsis of ‘César Manrique y Haría. The artist and the beauty of the place’. “The work of César Manrique”, he stressed, “possesses historical, social, cultural and environmental connotations. A work guided by ethical principles and by the value of justice. It is a unique and universal work due to its social character, dedicated to the destiny of a new economic model of the island, to the recovery of reviled landscapes and to the wise integration of artistic disciplines in which it combines with great sensitivity the elements of the identity culture with the artistic languages of contemporaneity”.
The act ended with the screening of a documentary, awarded in the national documentary contest held in 2022 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, around a conversation held between César Manrique and Francisco Galante.
The edition of ‘César Manrique y Haría. The artist and the beauty of the place’ has been promoted by the Tourist Centers, the Haría City Council and the César Manrique cultural chair that is taught at the University of La Laguna, with the sponsorship of the Cabildo of Lanzarote.
About Francisco Galante
Francisco Galante, is a doctor in Philosophy and Letters, professor of Art History at the University of La Laguna, professor, consulting member and researcher at the University of Leuven (KU-Leuven), in Flanders, director of the ‘César Manrique Cultural Chair’ of the University of La Laguna and member of the advisory committee of the ‘César Manrique Foundation’.
In his field of study, and as specific areas of research, he has addressed the phenomenon of integration between art and nature in contemporary architecture oriented towards the analysis and reflection of environmental, landscape and ecological issues, dedicating special attention to the work of César Manrique. He has also dealt with the artistic and cultural relations between Flanders and the Canary Islands, as well as the Spanish cultural heritage and its links with Europe and Latin America. On the other hand, he is interested in the study of the city that he has analyzed from the perspective of the cultural image of collective memory.
With references to these disciplines, he has published numerous books, monographs, studies and articles in scientific journals and given lectures at national, European and American universities, and in other international institutions. Likewise, he has carried out research in European universities and research centers, directs university research groups, doctoral theses and university specialization works.
Another of his activities as a researcher is aimed at organizing international exhibitions, acting, on the other hand, as an essayist and art critic. He has also made scripts on various cultural themes for film, television and other media.
In addition, he is part of various advisory councils of cultural institutions and international scientific journals. In this sense, for example, he is a member of the Founding Committee of the ‘Óscar Domínguez Institute of Contemporary Art’, of the Library of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and of the Institute of European Culture, established in Belgium.
