MIAC - Castillo de San José
International Museum of Contemporary Art set in an 18th-century fortress restored by César Manrique.
The Castle of San José was built on a clifftop in the late 18th century to defend the port of Arrecife. In the 1970s César Manrique redesigned the fortress interior and turned it into the island's International Museum of Contemporary Art.
The collection gathers Spanish work from the 1950s to the 1980s, featuring key names in abstraction and modern sculpture. A vast window overlooking the bay and the restaurant designed by Manrique round off a visit where art, history and landscape merge.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first!
Related places
Museo Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo Castillo de San José
The MIAC occupies the castle of San José, an eighteenth-century fortress raised above the sea in Arrecife. In 1976 César Manrique drove its restoration and turned it into a contemporary art museum, keeping the original stone and inserting a modern language into it. The collection brings together work by Canarian and mainland Spanish artists of the second half of the twentieth century. It is part of the Lanzarote network of Art, Culture and Tourism Centres.
Museo Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo Castillo de San José
The MIAC occupies the castle of San José, an eighteenth-century fortress raised above the sea in Arrecife. In 1976 César Manrique drove its restoration and turned it into a contemporary art museum, keeping the original stone and inserting a modern language into it. The collection brings together work by Canarian and mainland Spanish artists of the second half of the twentieth century. It is part of the Lanzarote network of Art, Culture and Tourism Centres.
Mariposario del Drago (Butterfly Park)
Mariposario del Drago (Butterfly Park)
Casa del Plátano (Banana House)
Casa del Plátano (Banana House)
Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín
Calatrava architectural icon by the sea in Santa Cruz.
Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín
Calatrava architectural icon by the sea in Santa Cruz.
Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria
Seafront Marian sanctuary, patron saint of the Canaries.
Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria
Seafront Marian sanctuary, patron saint of the Canaries.
Fundación César Manrique
César Manrique museum and foundation in his former Tahíche home.
Fundación César Manrique
César Manrique museum and foundation in his former Tahíche home.
Related guides
What to See in Lanzarote: The Essential Sights
Lanzarote is lava, art and silence: Timanfaya and the Ruta de los Volcanes, the Jameos del Agua, the Cueva de los Verdes, the Mirador del Río, La Geria and Teguise. César Manrique's mark in every corner and how to plan your route around the island of fire.
A Canarian Spanish glossary for tourists: 20 words that will save your holiday
Guagua, barraquito, cotufas, ¡fó!... Canarian Spanish has its own flavour. 20 must-know words so you don't get lost (or look like a clueless guiri) on your trip to the islands.
Which Canary Island should you choose for your holiday?
It isn't one destination, it's eight islands and each one plays a different game. We compare Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro by traveller profile, so you pick the exact island for your trip.