Santa Cruz de Tenerife celebrates Museum Day with a program of activities that will open the Municipal Museum of Fine Arts to all those curious who want to visit it. The activities will continue until Sunday May 22 and highlights the presentation of several restored works.
The Municipal Museum of Fine Arts of Santa Cruz de Tenerife dresses up to celebrate the International Museum Day since it premieres the new life of two of his works of art after conscientious conservation work carried out by the professional team of this chicharrero cultural space. St Geronimo (anonymous) and Saint Andrew (attributed to the artist José Ribera) are the two recently intervened pieces that have not only seen their life lengthened but also reveal some secrets that had been hidden for years due to dirt and poor conservation.
In this way, the capital’s museum has decided to turn works of art into authentic protagonists in the commemoration of Museum Day, which takes place every May 18. In the case of Saint Andrew by Jose Rivera, it is one of the works that is part of the Prado Museum’s deposits in this Santa Cruz space and the works to which it has recently been subjected are nothing more than the regular and habitual conservations that are carried out in these collections important pictorial In this case, the restorer Isabel Rumeu is usually in charge of carrying out the work on these pieces.
For her part, Patricia Padrón is one of the restorers who has carried out the intervention of the anonymous work St Geronimo, a piece that was very deteriorated and that has been part of the museum’s collections practically since it was created. “It was not in optimal conditions,” says the expert, who adds that the museum is carrying out inventory and warehouse review work and that is why this particularly deteriorated piece has been intervened. “It was in very poor condition and practically no detail of the painting could be distinguished,” explains Padrón, who highlights that unfortunately it had undergone many restorations of dubious professionalism: “It was not a virgin painting, but many people, in previous centuries , they had tried to restore it for what has been a complicated job although the things that have come out are very interesting ».
Thus, in addition to its heritage value, the conservation team of the Municipal Museum of Fine Arts He states that it is interesting to rescue these pieces because, after being treated by expert hands, they become a source of information for researchers. In this sense, Patricia Padrón recalls that the St Geronimo It is a painting dating from the 18th century, but according to some of the studies carried out, and the results of which will be presented today at the conference The importance of restoration in the conservation of works of art, moderated by the former director of the María del Carmen Duque Hernández Museum and in which the restorers Patricia Padrón and Isabel Rumeu, “this painting does not correspond to that date”. “This type of restoration gives rise to researchers carrying out new work and drawing new conclusions,” she ventures.
The restoration of Saint Jeromeo It has lasted for a year and has been carried out in a private workshop due to the complexity of the intervention, which required working with many different products. “One of the aspects that has marked the work has to do with the interventions that had been carried out previously, which in many cases were poorly executed”, which has now complicated some of the tasks. “It’s not that they were poorly done, but decades ago things weren’t done like they are now,” he points out. Patricia Padron.
The restorer explains that the fact that the painting is anonymous has not influenced the work: «We are like art surgeons, because we receive all the information from historians, chemists and physicists and with that we see matter and we work on it ». The completion of the work has now allowed us to discover different details in the work that may allow new studies to be carried out that help find its author. In the case of the background of the painting, for example, part of the iconography has been brought to light, which presents a trumpet, a skull or a lion. “All these data confirm that it is St Geronimo and now it’s up to historians to do their job.
Activities
Santa Cruz of Tenerife has chosen the Municipal Museum of Fine Arts to centralize the activities on the occasion of International Museum Day. The mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, José Manuel Bermúdez, indicated that the intention of the Corporation with the celebration of this day is that “citizens approach our municipality, which is becoming the capital of museums in the Canary Islands.” Thus, in addition to spaces such as TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, the Museum of Nature and Archeology (MUNA), the Military History Museum of the Canary Islands at Fort de Almeyda or the San Cristóbal Castle Museum, the city also has other spaces exhibitions, such as the Círculo de Bellas Artes or more contemporary enclaves such as the Casa del Carnaval. For all these reasons, Bermúdez affirmed, “Santa Cruz is the ideal setting to celebrate this day” and added that with all these actions “we are not only seeking to promote culture but also contribute to the city’s economy by attracting more visitors” . However, he recalled that this number of museums will soon be expanded with the opening of the Masonic Temple, the Carta Palace or the Rodin Museum.
For her part, the Councilor for Chicharrera Culture, Lion Gladys, stated that “culture enriches people’s souls” so he invited the neighbors to join the celebration of Museum Day, which is one of the fundamental pieces of the cultural sector. In addition, he highlighted the intention of the City Council to “sensitize the public about the importance of museums as tools for cultural exchange, enrichment and advancement” and precisely that desire materializes in the different appointments that have been scheduled for these days since they will allow addressing, among other aspects, the importance of restoration and conservation, support for artists and the need to bring art closer to all audiences. All in all, this year, the activities in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on the occasion of International Museum Day are gathered at the Museum of Fine Arts, where from Wednesday 18 May to Sunday 22 different actions will take place for all audiences .
The actions began on Wednesday with the colloquium talk The Tarquis-Robaina Residencein which four beneficiaries of this Artistic Residency of the Museum of Fine Arts spoke about their experience with this initiative aimed at supporting the development of creative and research projects linked to the work, artist, school or technique associated with their collections. On Thursday 19, at 7:00 p.m., the program continues with The importance of restoration in the conservation of works of art, in which several restorers will detail their work intervening the works of the museum. Likewise, the restorer Avelino Moreno will also explain the work of rehabilitation of the clock machinery of the old Applied Arts and Crafts building, and that these days can be seen in this space.
The program continues on Friday 20, at 6:00 p.m., when the Biennial of Plastic Arts of Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2022, where the 24 shortlisted works in this call will be exhibited and can be visited until June 26. This year, the Biennial celebrates 30 years since its first edition in 1992, although its origin dates back to the Regional Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture in 1960, which then promoted the promotion and meeting of new artists. In this edition, the jury ruled in favor of the work The need for a posthumous memory, by Francisco Hernandez Diaz. The second prize went to breakfast newsby Juan Sanchez Lezcano.
The program of activities on the occasion of International Museum Day will conclude over the weekend with several children’s workshops and guided tours to the museum that will take place at 11:00 and 12:30 and are designed above all for a family audience. In the workshops, users, helped by simple tools such as cardboard, scissors or crayons, will create their own works of art in the image and likeness of those that are hung on the walls of the museum. To attend the workshop, which is free of charge, it is necessary to register in advance by sending an email to [email protected] until the capacity is reached, set at 20 participants per session.
For their part, the guided tours are responsible for highlighting that this space was the first museum projected in the Canary Islands and in them a brief historical review will be made about the mission and the values that it currently serves. The tour will be accompanied by a general explanation of its structure, content and organization by floors. Visits are also open and free of charge, but prior registration will also be required by email. Finally, the schools also star in part of the activities on the occasion of this event. The 4th grade students from the schools of Santa Cruz de Tenerife have been invited to discuss a selection of eight artistic pieces from the permanent collection and the Museum’s holdings. Each school group now shows, in format podcastthe conversations that were generated around each of them.