ART BENEATH THE GLITZ

Think Marbella is all luxury and glamour?

Nadia McDonald spent a long weekend uncovering some of its hidden charms as an art lover’s paradise

OF course, the cobbled streets of Marbella old town (its casco antiguo), with their hanging flower baskets and tiled street signs are famously picturesque. Even the bins are painted in pastel tones and feature orange groves and sea creatures. But there is art everywhere around this beautiful beach resort.

Take Bar Guerola, standing in a quiet leafy square, a short way from the promenade. Its interior is a real feast for sore eyes, every inch of its walls covered in art.

On one side, paintings by local artists including Pachi Gallado, from Torremolinos. On the other, blue pen cartoons depicting key moments from the last 40 years, with homages to various works such as Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia and Picasso’s Guernica. The bar, which opened in the 1960s, has been run by the same friendly owner, Manuel, since 1982. The entertaining drawings were done by his friend, a well-known local dentist who passed away a year ago. He picked up a small sketchbook with its pages mostly empty. It was a gift for the art- ist when he’d gone into hospital. “I miss him every day,” says Manuel. “He was a true creative, always thinking up drawings, and he would spend many days here with me. “After he passed away, his wife gave me these works, and I cherish them. We both loved art, but he was a lot better than me.”

With a full stomach from delicious chicken liver pate and a seafood salad, I wandered through the popular yet surprisingly tranquil Alameda Park, with its tiled benches in the dappled shade of palms, and then on to pedestrianised Avenida del Mar.

To my delight, I came across the large bronze sculptures by legendary surrealist Salvador Dali (including the rhino, below), and, at the south end, the two children looking out to sea in Eduardo Soriano’s moving

WE start our art tour at Marbella’s best known museum. Home to one of Europe’s most important Latin American collections, the Museo Ralli focuses on modern movements, particularly surrealism, with works from a wide range of contemporary artists. Its current temporary show is on show until April 2024.

Monument to the Freedom of Expression.

Seeing the sculptures against the backdrop of the sea was a suitably surreal experience. Avenida del Mar with its pergolas, benches and fountains is like an open-air gallery, inviting passers-by to stop and admire the thought-provoking pieces.

The following morning I headed to Hospital Bazan, not in search of medical attention, thankfully, but prints. The historic old town building houses the Contemporary Engraving Museum that is free to visitors, and houses works by a superb range of artists including Joan Miro, Antoni Tapies and even Malaga-born Picasso. A personal favourite was Jose Caballero’s lithograph of his friend, Granada’s famous poet, Federico Garcia Lorca.

The black and white portrait showing Lorca with a spattering of blood across his forehead is a stark reminder of his execution during the Spanish Civil War. In contrast, Miro’s works were wonderfully co lourful and vibrant. There was more Miro to be had at the Museo Ralli Marbella, an hour’s walk (or a quick taxi hop) away, near Puer to Banus. There was Dali here too, in an exhibition of Surre alism from Europe and Latin Amer ica – his bronze sculpture of a female torso, Venus Spatial, is precariously balanced, al- most defying gravity. The permanent collection is a hotch-potch of paintings and sculptures from various artistic movements. Look out for the triptych La familia Informal by Peruvian artist Herman Braun-Vega: it incorporates multiple references to Spanish masterpieces and it’s an entertaining brain game trying to identify them. The hall of the museum is inhabited by life size bronze sculptures by Mario Aguirre and Gerardo Quiroz. I found myself mistaking them for fellow visitors only to realise that, as I had been during the entirety of my stay, I was merely in the company of art.

Ralli Museum ?

DALI AND MORE!

It’s not just hen parties creating an exhibition in Marbella; these three picks will satisfy culture vultures

“To fall in love with an artwork is to recognise your soul through the artist’s mirror” – or so said Marife

Es.Arte Gallery

WHERE?

Urb. Coral Beach, Rio Verde, N-340, km. 176, 29602 Marbella, Málaga

WHEN?

Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 17:00 h

Saturday 10:00 to 16:00 h

Nuñez who founded the gallery, and probably knows about these things. Es.Arte is a contemporary gallery with a busy calendar of exhibitions and fairs. As well as exhibiting works by contemporary artists, the gallery also offers consultancy services, helping you find something to hang on your wall.

WHERE?

Av de Manolete, 1, Centro Plaza, Local 11, 29660 Marbella ?

WHEN?

Tuesday to Friday 10:30 to 16:00 h

Saturday

10:00 to 14:30 h

Avenida del Mar F

OR an outdoor gallery, head to Avenida del Mar to see some of Salvador Dali’s famous bronze statues. Located on this beautiful marble promenade near the waterfront, these statues include a depiction of Perseus beheading Medusa; the Roman emperor Trajan on horseback; and, changing the mood slightly, a statue of Dali’s wife looking through a window. Also look for nearby sculpture by Eduardo Soriano, a tribute to freedom of speech and expression.

WHERE? Avenida del Mar ?

WHEN? 24 hours a day!