The Canary Islands mourn the loss of another significant individual connected to the cultural sphere. The gallery owner Magda Lázaro, who played a crucial role in one of the archipelago’s most notable facilities, passed away last Monday.
Lázaro collaborated with a prominent number of Canarian artists, supporting them while forging lasting friendships. The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of the Canary Islands was among the first cultural institutions to express their condolences. In 2017, the organisation recognised Lázaro as a “distinguished collaborator.”
“We at the Royal Academy are profoundly saddened by the passing of Magda Lázaro, esteemed gallery owner of Tenerife,” they stated on their official social media profiles. “Her exceptional contributions and dedication to promoting artistic talent have supported countless creators. Her infectious enthusiasm for art greatly enriched the cultural landscape of the islands. We wish to extend our heartfelt condolences and support to her family and friends during this challenging time.”
The Cabildo de Tenerife also paid tribute, emphasising her pivotal role in fostering the arts within the archipelago: “We wish to express our sorrow over the death of Magda Lázaro, a vital figure in the advancement of art and culture on our island. Her dedication as a gallery owner and her commitment to nurturing artistic talent established her as an essential reference point in Tenerife’s cultural scene.”
The island’s main contemporary art centre, Tea Tenerife Space of the Arts, echoed this sentiment: “Her departure leaves a significant gap in the Canarian art community.”
María Magdalena Lázaro Montelongo was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in 1949. She obtained her degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Granada and specialised in internal medicine at the Hospital de la Santa Cruz and San Pablo in Barcelona. Additionally, she served as a professor of General Pathology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. In 1977, she returned to the Canary Islands and settled in Tenerife.
She entered the art world through the galleries in Vegueta, Las Palmas, and The Conca in La Laguna, balancing this passion with her medical career for several years, both at the University Hospital and Candelaria Hospital. She received the Red Cross award for her humanitarian work in collaboration with Doctors of the World during the crises involving pateras. In 1983, she made the decision to open her own art gallery in Santa Cruz.
