Next October 2nd will mark 50 years since the start of the construction of Taro de Tahíche, the volcano house where the artist César Manrique lived after his final return to Lanzarote from New York, and the FCM will celebrate it with a commemorative event open to the public of Lanzarote.
The first phase of the construction of Taro de Tahíche concluded in 1969 and in 1988 the works for its conditioning as a museum and current headquarters of the César Manrique Foundation began and the artist moved his residence to Haría, current César Manrique House-Museum. This project of building his house in Taro de Tahíche was "intimately linked, in principle, to the creation of an artists' residence in the area", which involved, among others, "painters such as Manolo Millares or Pepe Dámaso, with the intention of generating a cultural project for Lanzarote that will later have as exponents the Castillo de San José ? International Museum of Contemporary Art, the El Almacén Polidimensional Center in Arrecife, the Auditorium of the Jameos del Agua or the Foundation itself", as explained by the Foundation itself.
The house is built on a lava flow from the eruptions that occurred in Lanzarote between 1730 and 1736. It stands on five natural volcanic bubbles and a small jameo, interconnected in an organic structure (like anthills). "In the upper part, vernacular architecture is reinterpreted. César Manrique harmoniously synthesizes a modern conception of architectural space (large windows, generous spaces, etc.) and the tradition of popular Lanzarote architecture, while bringing together the essential characteristics of his integrating proposal Art-Nature/Nature-Art: the dialogue between the building and nature, in a relationship of communication and permanent respect", they point out from the FCM.
César Manrique discovered the volcanic bubbles on which his house sits "by chance", they indicate from the FCM. "Walking through the lava flow, he approaches a fig tree that protrudes from the flow, and when he climbs down the branches of the tree, he sees the large dimensions of the interior of the 'chaboco' (as the open cavities in the lava are called on the island, where fruit trees are usually planted) in which he finds himself", and at that moment he decides that he could "turn them into habitats for human life, starting to plan my future house, seeing with enormous clarity its magic, its poetry, and at the same time its functionality", in his own words.
"A redoubt of freedom and modernity" visited by multiple personalities
Thus, in 1968 the construction of Taro de Tahíche began, as Manrique called his house from then on, which was soon included in multiple reports in national and international media. Taro de Tahíche was "a redoubt of freedom and modernity, as evidenced by the images and stories of the time." In 1969 he was already living there. It is a project that grew progressively over the years.
While the artist resided in Tahíche, the house was visited by all the personalities who came to Lanzarote: people from the world of art, music, architecture, literature, politics? receiving praise and opinions that highlighted "its originality and beauty".
To mark this anniversary, the César Manrique Foundation will hold a commemorative event at the FCM headquarters on Tuesday, October 2, at 8 p.m., during which an aperitif with musical entertainment will be offered. The event is open to the public of Lanzarote and, during the same, you can visit the museum of the César Manrique Foundation, the artist's former home, which will remain open until 11 p.m.
