Painter, sculptor, painter, architect, landscaper, urbanist, environmentalist… César Manrique was each of these things and he mastered them all. “Before anything, I consider myself a painter”.
César Manrique and his first painting exhibition
In 1942 he had his first painting exhibition in Arrecife.
He was one of the pioneers of abstract art in Spain. In 1953 cofounder of the Fernando Fé Gallery in Madrid, the first non figurative in the whole country; there he met Vázquez Díaz. In 1954 he had his first abstract exhibition along with his friends Manuel Manpaso and Luis Feitó, both with his same ideology. He did not let himself be influenced by his role models Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse.
In the 1960’s he had multiple exhibitions in Spain, Germany, England, Sweden, Italy, Austria, Brazil, Japan, USA and Finland. It is worth mentioning his exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 1964.
The most transcendental work of César Manrique is Lanzarote. He found the equilibrium between the exultant volcanic nature and the art of interpreting it. The marvelous and captivating beauty of this island that fascinates us all exists thanks to his geniality…