The César Manrique Foundation received this Monday the Medal of Honor from the University of La Laguna, the highest distinction of the Institution, to the artist and environmental activist from Lanzarote.
The ceremony took place on Monday morning, starting at 12:00 noon, in the Paraninfo, coinciding with the culmination of the events of the centenary of the birth of the important figure of Manrique. During the ceremony, the rector of the ULL, Rosa Aguilar, the president of the César Manrique Foundation, José Juan Ramírez, and the president of the Cabildo, María Dolores Corujo, spoke.
Dolores Corujo stressed the "honor for the Cabildo of Lanzarote to accompany the César Manrique Foundation in this act, which is the depositary of the artist's work and legacy." The president remarked "how special the delivery of this posthumous recognition is", which has only been given on two occasions "and which now falls on one of the great sons of Lanzarote and the most relevant figure in our contemporary history."
"Despite the time that has passed, he is still among us because there are many people in Lanzarote and the Canary Islands who keep his commitment alive in defense of traditional architecture, the territory, nature or the environment," the president stressed.
From the Cabildo they point out that this distinction is a sign of the mark that Manrique left and the memory of how "he criticized and fought against urban speculation, tourist overcrowding or the loss of personality of the Islands." "We all recognize the painter and sculptor, we are aware of his proposals for a harmonious relationship between art and nature, and we follow his teachings to learn to see the beauty of any landscape," Corujo pointed out.
Corujo also underlined the importance of the artist's legacy in the Art, Culture and Tourism Centers of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, whose spaces are "an example of the conservation of the historical, artistic, cultural and natural heritage of the Island and which have become in these years an economic and sociocultural engine of Lanzarote".
Finally, the president thanked the University of La Laguna and all those present "for this ceremony, for the admiration shown and for the commitment to his work and thought."
The granting of this decoration to César Manrique was unanimously approved by the Governing Council of the academic institution on September 25, 2019, but the medal awarding ceremony had to be postponed until this occasion due to the capacity control measures derived from the pandemic.
