The vice-president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, María Jesús Tovar, the minister of the Centers of Art, Culture and Tourism, Ángel Vázquez, and the professor of Art History at the University of La Laguna and professor, researcher, and academic consultant at the Katholieke Universiteit of Leuven, Francisco Galante, presented this morning 'César Manrique. One hundred years of Living Memory', "a meticulous research work on one of the great figures of the island's contemporary history".
Also present at the event were the Minister of Culture of the island's First Institution, Jesús Machín, as well as friends and family of the author.Tovar, grateful, highlighted the value of a publication that transcends what it represents: "this work is already part of the island's ethnographic heritage," she pointed out. The vice president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote also valued the "transformative power of the Canary Islands Development Fund, an instrument that helps build island and identity."For his part, Vázquez, who penned a text in the prelude to the work, began his speech with a heartfelt remembrance of Félix Hormiga, "a man of letters, culture, and art." The counselor thanked Francisco Galante for his work and highlighted what is "a milestone" for the Entity: "this is the first book published by the Tourist Centers about the person who conceived them, and about the person who envisioned a different way of thinking about the island. We feel very proud and grateful."Finally, he encouraged its reading to discover "an explorer of the landscape, an environmental initiate who inoculated his enthusiasm for a territory for which he interpreted a future full of opportunities from his great artistic work, the Centers of Art, Culture and Tourism".
The author, director of the César Manrique Chair at the University of Tenerife and member of the Institute of European Culture and Society, expressed his gratitude to the Cabildo of Lanzarote, the Tourist Centers, César Manrique, and the island. Galante confessed that this publication responds to "a commitment made with Manrique exactly 50 years ago today." "He taught us to look; he taught me to see that yellow daisies grow in the lava ravines," he pointed out, emotional.
Regarding the book, he pointed out that it has been "quite a challenge as I have invited people who worked closely with him to participate with texts and creations to link César with the island through these artists."Galante concluded his speech by encouraging the population "to not forget Manrique's speech and to take care of his legacy".
About César Manrique. One hundred years of living memory
'César Manrique. One Hundred Years of Living Memory' is a manual that **explores the life and artistic trajectory of the genius over a century**. It is a publication that delves into his school notes and his experiences in New York; that immerses itself in his years of study at the San Fernando Academy and his return to Lanzarote
It is a book that dives into unpublished sources to reveal some of the keys to his creative process, his passion for nature, his boundless love for Lanzarote, and the keys to the Green philosophy that made him immortal. It also reviews all the details of the event program that took place in various locations coinciding with the anniversary of his birth.
It is presented in a slipcase with three luxury volumes published in Spanish and English. A total of 1,000 pages with abundant illustrations and photographs, many of them previously unpublished.
Initially, a print run of one thousand copies has been produced, which the Tourist Centers will distribute free of charge in the island's educational and cultural centers, as well as in libraries and study spaces.
This publication is part of Program: 1.5.3. on the Dissemination of Heritage of the EPEL-CACT Programs included in the Lanzarote 2016-2025 Strategy of the FDCAN, managed by the vice-president of the First Insular Institution, María Jesús Tovar.
