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César Manrique Cabrera ( or ) (24 April 1919 – 25 September 1992) was a Spanish artist, sculptor, architect and nature activist from
Lanzarote Lanzarote (, , ) is a Spanish island, the easternmost of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It is located approximately off the north coast of Africa and from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering , Lanzarote is the fourth-largest of the i ...
.


Early life

Manrique was born in Arrecife,
Lanzarote Lanzarote (, , ) is a Spanish island, the easternmost of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It is located approximately off the north coast of Africa and from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering , Lanzarote is the fourth-largest of the i ...
, one of the
Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Mo ...
. His father Gumersindo Manrique, originally from
Fuerteventura Fuerteventura () is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the North Africa region, and politically part of Spain. It is located away from the northwestern coast of Africa. The island was declared a biosphere reserve by UNES ...
, built the family house in Caleta de Famara. Manrique himself once said this house and its surroundings has impressed him greatly. He fought in the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...
as a volunteer in the artillery unit on Franco's side. He attended the
University of La Laguna The University of La Laguna (ULL; Spanish: ''Universidad de La Laguna'') is a public research university situated in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, on the island of Tenerife, Spain. It is the oldest university in the Canary Islands. The universit ...
to study
architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...
, but after two years he quit his studies.


Career

He moved to
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), an ...
in 1945 and received a scholarship for the '' Art School of San Fernando'', where he graduated as a teacher of art and painting. Between 1964 and 1966 he lived in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
, where a grant from
Nelson Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), sometimes referred to by his nickname Rocky, was an American businessman and politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. A member of t ...
allowed him to rent his own studio. He painted many works in New York, which were exhibited in the prestigious "Catherine Viviano" gallery.Biography César Manrique
/ref> Manrique returned to
Lanzarote Lanzarote (, , ) is a Spanish island, the easternmost of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It is located approximately off the north coast of Africa and from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering , Lanzarote is the fourth-largest of the i ...
in 1966. Upon his return, he intended to start an artist's colony on the island.
Pepín Ramírez Pippin or Pepin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Pippin'' (comics), a children's comic produced from 1966 to 1986 * ''Pippin'' (musical), a Broadway musical by Stephen Schwartz loosely based on the life of Pepin the Hunchback * Pippin ...
, a childhood friend of Manrique as well as the president of the island helped Manrique realize this idea. César Manrique went on to reflect the unique landscape and colour palet of Lanzarote in his art and the architecture on the island. Beside continuing his personal art career, Manrique gained a lot of attention with his commitment to protect Lanzarote from the in his eyes destroying developments that resulted from the growing tourism branche on the island. This is not to say Manrique was against tourism on the island. On the contrary, he thought (high-quality) tourism should be the economic engine of the island. His legacy on the island includes the art, culture and tourism centre at
Jameos del Agua Jameos del Agua is a series of lava caves, located in the municipality of Haría in northern Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain. It is also an art, culture and tourism center, created by local artist and architect, César Manrique, and managed by t ...
(1963–87); his Volcano House, Taro de Tahiche (1968); the restaurant at the restored
Castillo de San José The Castillo de San José (Castle of San José) is an historic fortress and art museum in Arrecife on the Canary Island of Lanzarote. History Built between 1776 and 1779 the fort was constructed to provide a defensive stronghold in case of pirate ...
at Arrecife (1976); the visitors center at the Timanfaya National Park (1971); his Palm Grove House at Haria (1986); the Mirador del Rio (1973), and the Jardin de Cactus at Guatiza. He had a major influence on the planning regulations on Lanzarote following his recognition of its potential for tourism and lobbied successfully to encourage the sustainable development of the industry. One aspect of this is the ban of ''high-rise'' hotels on the island, which do not fit the aesthetic harmony that should cover the entire island, according to Manrique. Those high buildings that were built before the ban are generally keeping with the use of traditional colors in their exterior decoration. Homeowners are encouraged to protect this visual unity by keeping the exterior of the houses white (with specific colors for the woodwork). Manrique published a book on the topic in 1974 called ''Architecture Unpublished'', collaborating with the renowned Spanish architect
Fernando Higueras Fernando de Higueras Díaz (November 26, 1930 – January 30, 2008) was a Spanish architect. He was one of the most famous architects in the world during the 1970s. He was born in Madrid. He graduated as an architect from the Superior Techni ...
.


International reputation

In addition to his artistic engagement in the
Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Mo ...
and on the Spanish
peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on al ...
, Manrique also became internationally renowned. In 1990, he created one of the much respected BMW Art Cars with the German designer and paint artist Walter Maurer. Their
collaboration Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. Most ...
for the international automobile company increased Manrique's fame beyond the country's borders. Manrique maintained a close friendship with Walter Maurer until César Manrique's death in
1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engines ...
and was involved in a constant artistic exchange. Before the collaboration with César Manrique, Maurer had already designed BMW Art Cars with other highly recognised international artists such as
Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...
,
Frank Stella Frank Philip Stella (born May 12, 1936) is an American painter, sculptor and printmaker, noted for his work in the areas of minimalism and post-painterly abstraction. Stella lives and works in New York City. Biography Frank Stella was born in ...
and
Roy Lichtenstein Roy Fox Lichtenstein (; October 27, 1923 – September 29, 1997) was an American pop artist. During the 1960s, along with Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, and James Rosenquist among others, he became a leading figure in the new art movement. H ...
. The work for the joint Art Car was carried out in Maurer's studio in
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
. César Manrique took care of the initial design proposals, coordinated them with his artistic partner Walter Maurer and was responsible for the final approval, while Maurer was responsible for applying the design to the BMW 730i. In september 2019, one hundred years after his birth, Manrique was awarded the Medal of Honor of the University of La Laguna, where he briefly studied architecture at the start of his career.


Death

Manrique died in a car accident at Tahíche, Teguise, very near the Fundación, his Lanzarote home, in 1992. He was aged 73.


César Manrique Foundation

The César Manrique foundation was set up in 1982 by César Manrique and a group of friends but wasn't officially opened until 1992 after Manrique died. The foundation, based at Manrique's home, following his move to a townhouse in the North of the Island, is a private, non-profit organisation set-up to allow tourists access to Manrique's home. The foundation is also an art-gallery featuring art created by Manrique himself as well as Art that he acquired during his life. The gallery includes original sketches by
Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th century, he is ...
and
Joan Miró Joan Miró i Ferrà ( , , ; 20 April 1893 – 25 December 1983) was a Catalan painter, sculptor and ceramicist born in Barcelona. A museum dedicated to his work, the Fundació Joan Miró, was established in his native city of Barcelona i ...
. The money the foundation takes from ticket sales goes toward raising awareness about the art of Lanzarote, as well as being used to fund the foundation's "artistic, cultural and environmental activities". Manrique's home itself is built within a 3,000 m2 lot, on the site of the Lanzarote eruptions in the 18th century, and was created upon Manrique's return from New York City in 1966. The rooms on the first floor, including the artist studios, were created with the intention of keeping with Lanzarote traditions, yet making them more modern with open spaces and large windows. The "ground floor", more appropriately titled the "basement", contains five areas situated within volcanic bubbles, the rooms bored into volcanic
basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90% of a ...
. There is a central cave which houses a recreational area, including a swimming pool, a barbecue and a small dance floor. Once outside the main house, the visitor comes to the outside area, where there is a small square with a fountain in the middle before approaching a small café area and the visitor shop. This area was once César Manrique's garage. One of the foundation's fundamental missions is to oppose the spread of high-rise concrete across the Spanish coastline and her island. The foundation recently brought attention to 24 illegally erected hotels in Lanzarote.Building craze threatens to end Lanzarote's biosphere status
The Independent. 7 July 2010


See also

*
List of single-artist museums This is a list of single-artist museums, which are museums displaying the work of, or bearing the name of, a single visual artist. * Basuki Abdullah – Basoeki Abdullah Museum, Jakarta, Indonesia * Affandi – Affandi Museum, Yogyakarta, Indone ...


Honours

*1978 ''Weltpreis für Ökologie und Tourismus'',
Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...
, Germany *1986
Europa Nostra Europa Nostra ( Italian for "Our Europe") is a pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage, representing citizens' organisations that work on safeguarding Europe's cultural and natural heritage. It is the voice of this movement to relevant inte ...
Prize
European parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adop ...
*1989 Art Prize, Canarian government *1989 Fritz Schumacher Prize at the
Leibniz University Hannover Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University Hannover (german: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität), also known as the University of Hannover, is a public research university located in Hanover, Germany. Founded on 2 May 1831 as Higher Vocational Sc ...
, Germany


Works

In Lanzarote: *Casa / Museo César Manrique (Manrique's house and artist studio in Haria, with landscaped garden). * Mirador del Rio (built in 1973 overlooking the neighbouring island of
Graciosa Graciosa Island () (literally "graceful" or "enchanting" in Portuguese) is referred to as the ''White Island'', the northernmost of the Central Group of islands in the Azores. The ovular Portuguese island has an area of , a length of and a width ...
). *
Jameos del Agua Jameos del Agua is a series of lava caves, located in the municipality of Haría in northern Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain. It is also an art, culture and tourism center, created by local artist and architect, César Manrique, and managed by t ...
(concert venue/nightclub for 600 persons in a cave). *
Jardín de Cactus The Jardín de Cactus is a cactus garden on the island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. It is situated in the village of Guatiza, in a former quarry where volcanic sand lapilli (volcanic pyroclast, locally called "picón" or "rofe") was extra ...
(a
cactus A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Gre ...
garden home to over 1,100 different varieties of cactuses near Guatiza). *Taro de Tahíche (Manrique's house near Teguise, the present seat of the Fundación César Manrique). *International Museum of Contemporary Arts in the
Castillo de San José The Castillo de San José (Castle of San José) is an historic fortress and art museum in Arrecife on the Canary Island of Lanzarote. History Built between 1776 and 1779 the fort was constructed to provide a defensive stronghold in case of pirate ...
, Arrecife. *Garden and swimming pools of the five-star hotel Las Salinas in Costa Teguise. *El triunfador (built in 1990 in the area of Fundacion César Manrique, a sculpture). *Juguetes del viento (built in 1992 in Arrieta, windmill). *El Diablo, symbol of the Timanfaya National Park. *El Diablo Restaurant (uses volcanic heat to cook). Outside Lanzarote: *
Lago Martiánez Lago Martiánez is an open-air swimming pool complex located in Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain). The leisure park with a total area of approximately 100,000 square meters is centered around an artificial lake. Lago Martiánez in ...
(1977, large "semi natural" open air sea-water pool complex in
Puerto de la Cruz Puerto de la Cruz is a city and municipality in the northern part of the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. It was formerly known by its English translation, "Port of the Cross", although now it is known by its Spanish name in all lang ...
, Tenerife). *Playa Jardín (volcanic beach and sub-tropical gardens complex in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife). * La Vaguada Shopping Centre in Madrid (1983), the first shopping centre perfectly integrated into the natural environment in Spain. *La Peña (1989, a restaurant and belvedere on El Hierro). *Mirador del Palmarejo (1989, a lookout point in La Gomera). * BMW Art Car in collaboration with Walter Maurer (1990),
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
, Germany. *Canarian Pavilion (1992, Expo 92, Seville, Spain). *
Parque Marítimo César Manrique The Parque Marítimo César Manrique is an entertainment complex, designed by architect César Manrique, located in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Tenerife, Spain). The park is located in the current area of expansion of the capital of islan ...
, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife


Additional images

File:César Manrique Wandskulptur.jpg, Manrique Foundation; outside (Lanzarote) File:César Manrique Stahlskulptur.jpg, Manrique Foundation; inside (Lanzarote) File:Cesar Manrique Windskulptur.jpg, Wind sculpture (Lanzarote) File:Wind mobile-Cesar Manrique-Las Canteras-Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.jpg, Wind sculpture (
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife), the most populous city in the au ...
) File:Monumento-al-Campesino.JPG, Monument to the peasant (Lanzarote) File:Taro Tahiche 2.JPG, Taro Tahiche (Lanzarote)


References

*César, Manrique '' Arquitectura inédita'' *ALEJANDRO SCARPA, 2019. ''César Manrique, acupuntura territorial en Lanzarote''. . (Spanish edition with English summarized translations). *
Lancelot Internacional Lancelot du Lac (French for Lancelot of the Lake), also written as Launcelot and other variants (such as early German ''Lanzelet'', early French ''Lanselos'', early Welsh ''Lanslod Lak'', Italian ''Lancillotto'', Spanish ''Lanzarote del Lago' ...
, Especial: César Manrique, Lanzarote, 3. Revisada 1996, Lanzarote. Idiomas: Español, Inglés y Alemán (3rd revision 1996, Lanzarote. Languages: English, German and Spanish).


External links


Official website of the Cesar Manrique FoundationArchitectural drawings and location of all Manrique's work in Lanzarote
*http://www.cesarmanrique.com
360° Panoramic vtour of the Lago Martiánez and pools
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manrique, Cesar 1919 births 1992 deaths People from Arrecife Spanish architects Artists from the Canary Islands 20th-century Spanish painters 20th-century Spanish male artists Spanish male painters Spanish sculptors Spanish male sculptors Road incident deaths in Spain 20th-century sculptors