News From the World of Art on the Costa del Sol in Andalucia

Association Initiativas Turisticas de Gaucin The Gecko Project

The Gaucin gecko project was inspired by the Swiss artist Walter Knapp who in 1998 was the creator of “Cow Parade”. The businesses of Zurich decided that such a project would encourage tourism into the centre of the town. Resin copies of life size cows were made and subsequently decorated by local artists. This idea was taken up by other cities of the world using different animals – bears in Berlin; lions in Munich; camels in Dubai, even pigs and tortoises.

In Gaucin they decided to use a creature that is often found in the streets but hardly ever seen – the Gecko. 400 resin unadorned moulds were ordered, measuring approximately 42 cm long. These were to be decorated by the inhabitants of the village. The first moulds were given to 175 children in the school. Then each local artist received one and subsequently anybody living in Gaucin who was interested in decorating a gecko found they had a model to work with.

The geckos have been painted, dressed up or transformed in some way or another producing a tremendous variety of colourful geckos highlighting the extraordinary imagination of all who live in Gaucin.

The Artist Captured on Canvas

Welsh Artist John Wright has featured here many times. His illustrious career included the position of Principal at the Newport and Gwent College of Art and Design that later became Gwent Polytechnic and the University of Wales. In 1956 he became a founder member of the ’56 Group. In 1961 won the Llandaff Festival Prize and in 1968 was awarded the Medal of the Town of Arles for a documentary film and, in 1969, he won the Montera d’Or, the highest award at the Montpellier International Film Festival. He is also a founder governor of the National Film School. In 1969 he assisted Lord Snowden to design the interior of Caernarfon Castle for the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales. His art work is now exhibited in galleries all over the world and appears in numerous collections including the National Museum of Wales, the National Library of Wales, the Glynn Vivian Gallery in Swansea, in fact all the major galleries and museums in Wales, the Universities of Wales and Oxford, the Tate Gallery in London, the Contemporary Arts Society, the Knox Foundation in Boston, the Museum of Modern Art in Washington DC and in national collections in Mexico, America and South America. Since 1990 John has been passing on his wealth of experience to artists in this area through his classes at Jimena and Estepona with considerable success. Over the years his students have won awards at exhibitions throughout Andalucia and in Gibraltar. Now one of his talented students, Elaine Gornall, has immortalised John on canvas. The work will be on display at an exhibition at Las Rejas restaurant in Jimena from the 8th September.

Photographs of an Artist

Until the 20th August an exhibition at the Picasso Museum in Màlaga reveals the more intimate side of Picasso. 87 photographs are displayed, part of a collection owned by Robert Otero, a friend of Picasso for 10 years. The photographs reveal the daily life of the artist in the last years of his life. Picasso died at his chateaux near Cannes in France on the 8th April 1973. “Otero’s photographs capture a side of Picasso that no-one else managed to,” said Sofía Díez, at the presentation of the exhibition in July. Argentinean photographer Otero himself died in 2004 and, according to his sister, “Roberto really enjoyed those years with Picasso,” she said, “and he was made to feel part of the family.”

San Roque Art Exhibition

From 8th until 29th August there will be an Exhibition of Photography by Aruro Marin at the Ortega Brú Art Gallery, in the Governor’s Palace.

Aspectos de Jimena

Is the title of an art exhibition that will be held at Las Rejas restaurant in Jimena from the 8th September. Students from the John Wright school have been producing work to this theme for the past few months. The students work in a variety of mediums; oils, acrylics, pastels and watercolours and in a variety of styles. The exhibition is a chance to see the high standard of work from this group.

Art Exhibition at La Fuente Restaurant, Gaucin

Stephanie Thompson, one of the Gaucin artists, is holding an exhibition of her paintings at La Fuente Restaurant in Gaucin for the next two months. Her paintings are stunning acrylic/mixed media, based on the white villages of Andalucia.