Imágenes cortesía de la Fundación César Manrique

On view through 1 September at the César Manrique Foundation in Tahíche (Lanzarote) is an exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary of Lanzarote. Arquitectura inédita, a book the Canarian artist published in 1974. It has been reprinted many times, most recently in 2024, marking its half-century. The show, documentary in nature, presents over a hundred photographic reproductions of images in the publication, accompanied by hitherto unseen pictures of the traditional architecture of Lanzarote, taken from Manrique’s personal archive. On display are letters, press articles, and objects related to the making of the book. In addition, there are recreations of architectural elements that are highly representative of the island, such as kilns, low walls, and dovecots, as well as original drawings.

Manrique dedicated his book to the popular architecture of his native island, with an approach that fused his modern sensibilities with a deep admiration for Lanzarote’s social, cultural, and geographic history. He was influenced by the exhibition ‘Architects without Architects,’ curated by Bernard Rudofsky at the New York MoMA in 1964, where he saw a photograph of the wine region La Geria (Lanzarote) and was reaffirmed in his defense of the island’s landscapes and architecture.

The book Lanzarote. Arquitectura inédita came about in a specific historical context. In the 1960s, Lanzarote was beginning its transition towards a tourist economy. The creator of the Jameos de Agua, water caves, feared that the process would make traditional architecture give way to international standardized patterns. Hence, his work not only documents Lanzarote’s architectural heritage in the 1960s and 1970s, but also constitutes an act of resistance against the homogenization of the landscape and local culture, driven by speculation and capitalism.

Lanzarote. Arquitectura inédita became a crucial milestone for the island’s modernization and for the construction of its identity in the context of the tourism industry. It had a powerful impact on urbanistic practices and civic representations, helping to give shape to the Lanzarote of today.