The back story
From Manrique’s lava to the Phantom at the Auditorio: Arts & Culture in the Canaries
The Fundación César Manrique and his house at Haría, the MIAC in the Castillo de San José, CAAM’s exhibitions in Las Palmas, the Auditorio de Tenerife, the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus and the Teatro Pérez Galdós, and the sand nativity of Las Canteras: the arts of the Canary Islands.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsThe arts of the Canaries begin with one man and the lava. César Manrique’s house at Taro de Tahíche is now his foundation, and his house in the palm grove of Haría a museum; on the harbour of Arrecife, the eighteenth-century Castillo de San José has housed the International Museum of Contemporary Art since 1976 (CACT). In Las Palmas, CAAM shows contemporary art in the old quarter of Vegueta, and the two capitals have concert halls for their orchestras and opera.
Manrique
The Fundación César Manrique is open every day, holidays included, at Taro de Tahíche; the Casa-Museo César Manrique at Haría opens daily from 10.30am to 5.30pm. Both close on 1 January (the foundation’s site).
Museums of today
The MIAC fills the Castillo de San José, built in the eighteenth century for defence, with contemporary art, open daily from 11am to 6pm. CAAM in Las Palmas shows Tim Parchikov’s “Barreras de la visión” until 7 February 2027 (their sites).
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Wladyslaw, derivative work: Nikopol · CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsMusic, opera and theatre
The Auditorio de Tenerife is home to the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife and the Ópera de Tenerife, and stages The Phantom of the Opera from 26 December 2026. In Las Palmas, the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus is home to the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, and the Teatro Pérez Galdós stages opera, early music and dance (their sites).
Book concerts at the Auditorio de Tenerife and the Alfredo Kraus on their own sites, which list every date.
Our advice: the Fundación César Manrique fills by late morning: go at opening time.
Why it's on our list
- Manrique
- Museums of today
- Music, opera and theatre
Location
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More in depth
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