The World Heritage city commemorates the tercentenary of the death of Cristóbal Hernández de Quintana with a major exhibition and guided heritage tours
Various institutions on the islands join forces to restore and promote the legacy of the great Baroque painter from the Canary Islands.
From today, the city of La Laguna in Tenerife will be hosting a series of events to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the death of Cristóbal Hernández de Quintana (1651–1725), considered the greatest Baroque painter in the Canary Islands. Under the slogan #Quintana2025, a major cultural project has been designed that brings together an unprecedented exhibition of his work, a restoration campaign and a programme of heritage routes that connect the World Heritage City with the life and legacy of the artist. This initiative is the result of a partnership between La Laguna City Council, the Government of the Canary Islands, the Cabildo of Tenerife and the Cayetano Gómez Felipe House Museum, with the collaboration of La Laguna Cathedral, parishes throughout the island and private collections.
Today, this House Museum hosted the presentation to the media of one of the programme’s central activities, the exhibition “Quintana in La Laguna. The painter and his legacy in Canarian Baroque art”, which will open its doors to the public this afternoon. The event was attended by the Councillor for Cultural Heritage, Adolfo Cordobés; the Director of Historical Heritage of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Isabel de Esteban; the Director and Curator of the Cayetano Gómez Felipe House Museum, Milagros Álvarez Sosa; Juan Alejandro Lorenzo Lima, Doctor of Art History and technician at the Directorate-General for Culture and Cultural Heritage of the Government of the Canary Islands; and Carlos Rodríguez Morales, curator of the exhibition.
Adolfo Cordobés explained that “La Laguna is commemorating this third centenary with an inclusive and informative project that also coincides with the 25th anniversary of our declaration as a UNESCO World Heritage City. This initiative is the result of the combined efforts of many institutions and individuals, with which we also want to reinforce the cultural identity of La Laguna and reposition Quintana’s work and legacy on the map of Hispanic and Ibero-American Baroque art.”
“With #Quintana2025,” said the councillor, “La Laguna is adding to its agenda a cultural project with local, island and regional scope, an alliance and a novel comprehensive proposal that, in the context of two highly significant anniversaries and over a period of almost three months, will bring together history, art and the city. In addition to the exhibition, the programme includes a campaign to restore pieces linked to the artist and a programme of heritage routes, making it a project that combines memory, conservation and dissemination, which we want to share, free of charge and accessible to all citizens,” said Cordobés.
For her part, Isabel de Esteban stated that “the Island Council of Tenerife’s Department of Historical Heritage reaffirms its commitment to the conservation, protection and dissemination of the island’s cultural heritage. Every action we take is a firm commitment to preserving our collective memory and ensuring that future generations continue to enjoy a living and accessible heritage.”
“In this context, the restoration of the upper and lower choir screens at the Monastery of Santa Catalina de Siena is a magnificent example of this commitment. It is an exceptional historical asset that requires specialised and rigorous intervention. With this work, we are ensuring the integrity of a key element of the convent complex, one of the most important in La Laguna,” said the island’s director.
He also recalled that “the Cabildo has facilitated the loan of three fundamental works for this exhibition: the portrait of Bernardo de Fau and the two panels of San Juan de Dios from the old altarpiece of the Hospital de Dolores. These pieces allow us to expand and enrich the exhibition narrative, bringing part of our heritage that is usually kept private closer to the public.”
Intervention in 9 works
Juan Alejandro Lorenzo Lima also discussed the restoration work being carried out by the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage of the Government of the Canary Islands. In this regard, he pointed out that “a total of nine projects will be undertaken, in addition to the aforementioned complex of the monastery of Santa Catalina de Siena, representing a total investment of approximately €150,000, all thanks to the collaboration of local, island and regional institutions”.
One of the highlights of this third centenary will be the exhibition “Quintana in La Laguna. The painter and his influence on Baroque art in the Canary Islands”, which opens its doors at 7pm today at the Cayetano Gómez Felipe House Museum and can be visited until 30 January, with free admission.
26 pieces in a contemporary house belonging to the artist
The director and curator of the House Museum, Milagros Álvarez Sosa, provided further details about this exhibition, which brings together 26 pieces, including paintings, polychrome carvings and historical documents, selected to offer a comprehensive overview of Quintana’s legacy and his subsequent influence.
“The Cayetano Gómez Felipe House Museum is proud to host this exhibition, which allows us to show the public a comprehensive overview of Quintana’s work and his influence on Canarian Baroque art. Quintana was an artist who knew how to interpret the religiosity of his time and translate it into his own austere and expressive visual language,” said Álvarez.
He also emphasised that, “with this exhibition, we want the public to rediscover his legacy and understand his importance in the history of art on the island. We have worked to make the exhibition accessible and understandable, with explanatory panels and complementary resources that facilitate the dissemination of heritage”.
An artistic journey through the 17th and 18th centuries
The exhibition curator and expert on Quintana, Carlos Rodríguez Morales, added that “the selection of works allows us to appreciate both Quintana’s direct output and the mark he left on his disciples and contemporaries. We wanted to show not only his paintings, but also historical documents and restored pieces that enrich the exhibition narrative.”
Rodríguez emphasised that “Quintana consolidated an insular school of painting and placed the Canary Islands on the cultural map of the Baroque period. Although his style was considered rigid in later periods, today we recognise it as a unique testimony to the religiosity and aesthetic sensibilities of the 17th and 18th centuries”.
The works on display in this exhibition have been loaned by the Cabildo de Tenerife, Casa Museo Cayetano Gómez Felipe, LM Arte Colección, the diocese and cathedral of La Laguna, the churches of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, Santo Domingo de Guzmán, Hospital de los Dolores and the Monastery of Santa Catalina de Siena, as well as the parishes of Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación (La Victoria de Acentejo), Nuestra Señora del Carmen (La Orotava), Santa Ana (Garachico) and Nuestra Señora de los Remedios (Buenavista del Norte). It includes pieces from private collections in La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Garachico and Los Realejos.
Free heritage tours, starting this Saturday
This exhibition is complemented by the heritage routes “Quintana in La Laguna. The painter in the city 300 years later”, organised by the Department of Cultural Heritage of La Laguna together with Localiando. Councillor Adolfo Cordobés provided all the details of this innovative proposal, whose “aim is to turn the historic centre into a living extension of the exhibition, connecting heritage, history and art in a tour that will allow the public to better understand Quintana’s mark on the streets and churches of La Laguna”.
The programme includes seven free routes, which will start this Saturday and run from November to January. They will depart from the area around the Cruz Verde chapel on Calle Herradores, where Quintana’s residence and workshop were located, with an itinerary that will connect key locations in the city with the artist’s life and work, such as the Church of Santo Domingo, the Convent of Santa Catalina de Siena, the Hospital de Dolores and the temple of Nuestra Señora de La Concepción, inviting attendees to visit the exhibition at the Cayetano Gómez Felipe House Museum.