Néstor Museum

The Museum
The Museo Nestor is part of the architectural ensemble of the Pueblo Canario, the area that accommodates the reconstructed chapel of Santa Catalina, an inn and artisan shops. These buildings arranged around an open square, mix Mudejar and Baroque architectural elements, in what is known as "Neo-Canario" style. This design by his brother Miguel is a construction of the "Pueblo Canario" designed by Nestor (1937) in the context of the campaign to revalue and recreate all aspects of the island in the face of the "happy event of tourism". This space is accessed through arched openings arranged around its axes which are connected to the gardens surrounding the Hotel Santa Catalina designed by Rubió i Tudurí (Parque Doramas). This building was also designed by Miguel Martín-Fernández de la Torre and stands on a site previously occupied by an early, English establishment designed by James M. Maclaren for The Grand Canaria Island Company.

A visit to the museum of Néstor Martín-Fernández de la Torre (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 1887 – 1938), which was opened in 1956, allows an insight into the work of an artist who, without doubt, created a unique Canary Islands art, which was linked to the fin de siècle trends prevalent at the time, the pre-Raphaelite movement, Modernism and Symbolism, among others, although towards the end of the 1920s he simplified Baroque's extravagant, precious and decorative language, aligning his work more to international Art Deco.
This museum has a very privileged space in the circular room, topped off with a dome bearing the eight canvases of the Poema del Mar (1912-1923). With this work, Nestor achieved his great esoteric dream; a union of correspondences of all four elements, the four phases of the day…Another important milestone in Nestor’s artistic life is the unfinished Poema de la Tierra (1934 – 1938) and the "Tipista" room which highlights the important influence of architecture in his painting.
Following the small guide available at the museum, the visitor can observe other rooms containing early drawings, and oil paintings done in an impressionistic style, portraits such as that of the composer Enrique Granados (1909), allegorical works such as La hermana de las rosas (1908), Epitalamio or Las bodas del príncipe Néstor (1909); however, his work on theatre sets must not be forgotten, such as those for Don Giovanni (1931) or the great mural for his studio (1924-1926). Later, when in Madrid, Nestor created a Canarian imagery of fruit, children and tropical birds, which resulted in the murals for the Pérez Galdós Theatre of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria(1928), the ultimate expression of his unique art. The last trace of Symbolist trends in Europe disappeared with Nestor.

Services:
Education and Cultural Action Department, library, museum shop, guided tours.