A VISIT TO THE CESAR MANRIQUE FUNDACION IN TAHICHE

I had never heard of this amazingly gifted artist and architect until I came to Lanzarote this month, but my curiosity about him came directly in landing at the airport which is named after him. I read some bits and pieces about him on the Net and was delighted to discover that his foundation was in nearby Tahiche.

A short bus ride from Costa Teguise brought us close to a crossroads near to the Foundation

His Juguete del Viento – “ Wind Toy” in the centre of the crossroads.

I could not resist buying a print of one of his more formal paintings at the end of the tour.

There was a lot of information on the handy leaflets provided with our ticket . I thought it would be far more informative if I included photos of these alongside photos of this unique place.

Cactii flourish in this arid climate and his inherent reverence for NATURE-ART ~ART -NATURE ie evident throughout the Foundation.

A view from above of one of the “ bubbles”. What a feat of imagination to develop and connect lava bubbles below a stream of lava formed in an eruption in the 18th century and develop them in to a home.

At first glance I thought they were shelves on the right of the fireplace but they are frescoes.

Early New York influences – Nina Simone and Elvis

We enjoyed a short film on entering the foundation featuring interviews with some of his friends and fellow artists . All were united in their admiration of his unbreakable spirit,vision and wonderful companionship.
There was one criticism-not of him – but of the “ Canarian governance “ as it was described. Not enough effort by administrations to bring him,his work and his lasting beneficial impact on his beloved Lanzarote to the attention of the world.

As I mentioned at the beginning,I had never heard of him…Might it be that his early persuasion of the Lanzarote administration in the 60s,to limit overdevelopment,eg no billboards on roadsides, no skyscrapers and respect for the sea, the earth and the sky was not totally to the liking of some of the Canary Islands’ thirst for tourism?