Museo Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo MIAC Castillo de San José
The Museo Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo MIAC (International Museum of Modern Art) is situated in the old military fortress of the Castillo de San José. The museum was founded in 1975 with the aim of 'promoting, bringing together and exhibiting the most important works of modern artistic creation'.
It was founded at the initiative of César Manrique, who personally oversaw the restoration and renovation of the Castillo de San José, which was in ruins at the time.
The building's internal structure was barely modified, with the annex constructions undergoing the remarkable changes (the area currently occupied by the restaurant).
In tandem with this, the '1er Certamen Internacional de Artes Plásticas' (first international competition of plastic arts) was held, with a view to selecting the work that would be acquired for the creation of the museum.
After all the preparations, on 8th December 1976 - two hundred years after work began to build the military fortress - the Castillo de San José opened its doors as the Museo Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo.
The opening of the MIAC had an important repercussion. This was the most ambitious exhibition ever held in Spain. The number of artists taking part (both selected and invited) reached 180.
Works by the following artists are displayed at the MIAC: Tàpies, Michavila, Amadeo Gabino, Sempere, Mompó, el grupo El Paso, Millares, Canogar, Rivera, Juana Francés, Mignoni, Gastón Orellana, Gordillo, Úrculo, Guerrero, Yturralde, Gómez Perales, Brikmann, Mampaso, Enrique Barón, Zóbel, Torner, Alechinsky, Beaudin, Le Parc...As regards Canarian artists, mention should be made of the works of César Manrique, Manolo Millares, Pancho Lasso, Óscar Domínguez and Cristino de Vera, amongst others.
The Collection
The collection at the MIAC is a reflection of a generation of artists producing works between the Fifties and Seventies, along with any works falling outside that particular time period.
We can examine three broad trends that are at play in the MIAC's collection. All appear to be connected by their shared nexus of abstraction - a new way opened by artists in the 20th century in the face of naturalist imagination:
-Geometric abstraction: dominated by trends derived from pop art, constructivism and kinetic art. It investigates and theorises on the optical and dynamic qualities of works of art.
-Formal abstraction: informal art, material abstraction. In contrast with theory, the act of creation is the principal motivation of the discourse. The texture of materials, the immediate and irrational gesture in the face of premeditated ideas.
-Figurative abstraction: derivation from pop art of a form of figuration drawing on fantasy, mythology and surrealism. Based on elements of reality, these are reconstructed through the artist's imagination and personal vision.
The Historical buoilding
The fortress was built in the 18th Century during the reign of the Bourbon monarchy of Carlos III. There were then three military buildings: the Castillo de Santa Bárbara in Teguise; the Castillo de San Gabriel in Arrecife; and the Torre del Águila in the south of the island.
The port activity, the growth in the population, the need for defence against attacks from Berber pirates and English corsairs created the necessary conditions for demanding new defensive structures.
In addition, we have to add specific characteristics that affected the island over the course of that century:
-The continued periods of drought that devastated an economy based on unirrigated agriculture, excessively vulnerable to climatic conditions.
-The eruptions of Timanfaya between 1730 and 1736, which covered one of the most fertile stretches of the island in lava and slag.
-The seigniorial system that dominated and affected social organisation and the island's political structure
With a project conducted by the military engineer Alejandro de los Ángeles, the construction works began at a location in the Puerto de Naos, one of the most important centres in the whole archipelago for repairing ships, owing to its calm waters.
The works were carried out between 1774 and 1779 and dedicated to San José (Saint Joseph), with a large part of the island's population taking part in the construction. Without doubt, the edifice came to ease the shortages suffered by the Lanzaroteños - the fortress came to be known popularly as the 'Fortaleza del hambre' (fortress of hunger).
The building is semi-circular, with its curved side facing the sea. Its sturdy appearance is due to the use of ashlars and masonry.
