The plenary session of the Cabildo of Tenerife has reached a decision this Friday to bestow the Great Distinction of Nivaria, the highest honorary accolade provided by the island authority, upon the Tenerife artist Cristino de Vera Reyes.
This proposal was approved with unanimous support from all political factions within the island body, made through a secret ballot process.
The Great Nivaria Distinction, awarded for the first time this Friday, was established to acknowledge exceptional achievements whose importance or contribution to society transcends local confines, encompassing all areas of human endeavour in varying geographic and social contexts.
In commemoration of this accolade presented to de Vera, the president of the Tenerife Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, has emphasised the “personal poetics” that distinguishes this “unparalleled painter” among the “most eminent” figures in Spanish contemporary art.
“His canvases encapsulate the light and tranquility that singularise him as an extraordinary artist, part of a Spanish legacy represented by Zurbarán and Luis Fernández, while also sharing connections with Juan Gris,” she remarked.
Cristino de Vera Reyes (15 December 1931) is a Spanish painter hailing from Santa Cruz de Tenerife. He received the National Prize for Plastic Arts in 1998, as well as the Canary Islands Prize for Fine Arts and Interpretation in 2005.