Meet Cesar Manrique: the artist who changed the face of an island

Cesar Manrique's imagination and love of nature fueled his passionate devotion to his native Lanzarote.  Here, one of his gardens incorporates relaxation with appreciation of native plants. Nature and art were one for him. 

ONE MAN'S VISION AND IMAGINATION MARKS CANARY ISLAND OF LANZAROTE

Jameos del Agua is a natural space inside a volcanic tunnel

transformed by Manrique into a world renowned concert space.

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

CESAR MANRIQUE was born in 1919 in the town of Arrecife on the island of Lanzarote in the Canaries.

Few people outside of the islands knew of these volcanic places off theJameos  coast of Spain, but that would change with Manrique.  

Architectural genius changes an island

Cesar Manrique is

immortalized in sculpture.

Bruce Keller and Christene

"Cookie" Meyers at the home

of artistic genius Manrique.

An artist from childhood, when he sketched nature images, he left as a young man to study in Madrid, returning many times, his head buzzing with ideas. By 1966, he'd settled back in his homeland for good. What he created changed the island and put it on the world map.

FOR 25 FRUITFUL years, he transformed Lanzarote to an imaginative place, where nature and architecture blend. It's a playground for imagination. Perhaps no single man has had a greater influence on a place. Only Gaudi comes to mind, in his contributions to Barcelona. For working with Lanzarote's volcanic landscapes, Manrique insisted there be no tall buildings. He imagined that vineyards could flourish in craters, and they do. His homeland's strange beauty captured Manrique's imagination and encouraged his dialogue between nature and art. This extraordinary artist was the main creator of most of the art, culture and tourism centers that now exist on Lanzarote, making it the Canary Island's showpiece.

Cesar Manrique ever at work.

MANRIQUE'S VISIONARY designs integrate elements of nature with comfort and style. They welcome the eye, asking the viewer to step in and enjoy.

One can tell the artist enjoyed life and its pleasures, and that he was ever aware of nature, which he revered during his life, 1919 to 1992.

One of Manrique's many creations.

Manrique loved color and cactus, as this display at his

home, now a museum, illustrates.

 .

   In Europe, he exhibited his work in Spain and France, where it was greeted with raves from both press and the public. He  traveled to exhibitions in Japan and after the death from cancer of his beloved partner Pepi Gomez, he moved to New York for a change of environment. There he was befriended Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and other famous 20th Century artists. But he was critical of the environment of New York, which he considered "inhumane." 

Painter, sculptor, architect Cesar Manrique transformed the Canary

 Islands' most interesting island, Lanzarote. Future blog pieces

celebrate the holidays as we showcase other creators. 

THE ARTIST'S   childhood friend Pepin Ramirez was president of the island and helped Manrique realize this idea to reflect the unique landscape and color palette of Lanzarote in the art and architecture on the island. Beside continuing his personal art career, Manrique gained attention with his commitment to protect Lanzarote from what he regarded as pernicious tourist development. Manrique was not against tourism but thought high quality tourism could transform the island and become its economic engine. This has come to pass.

www.fcmanrique.org/en/inicio/

www.hellocanaryislands.com

www.turismolanzarote.com/en/

COMING SOON: As we enter the holidays full tilt, we visit places that celebrate with specific cultural touches. From Hawaii to Madrid, French Polynesia to Brazil, Singapore to Sydney, we toast the holidays with art, music, food,  architecture and originality. Meanwhile, remember to explore, learn and live, and catch us weekly for a fresh spin on travel, performance, nature, family and more. Please share the link: www.whereiscookie.com