En apoyo al Centro Guerrero

El Centro Guerrero ha sido hasta hoy una indiscutible realidad de la herencia cultural de Granada. Nació por la insistencia de sus ciudadanos y de una comunidad cultural muy activa y fue posible gracias a la iniciativa de la Diputación de Granada y de la familia Guerrero.

El centro abrió sus puertas en junio de 2000 y desde entonces ha sido uno de los más brillantes ejemplos de cómo desde la periferia se puede disfrutar y trabajar desde la excelencia y que esta no tiene porque ser un derecho exclusivo de las grandes capitales de poder.

José Guerrero fue una voz singular del expresionismo abstracto en el Nueva York de los años cincuenta y ha sido reconocido también por su gran influencia en la renovación artística de la España de la transición.

El acuerdo entre la Diputación de Granada y la familia Guerrero permitió el préstamo de una importante colección de sesenta pinturas, así como el archivo y la biblioteca personales del artista, a la ciudad de Granada, sin compensación económica alguna y por un periodo determinado de tiempo.
El 26 de marzo, próxima a la celebración del decimo aniversario del Centro Guerrero, la Diputación anuncia a los medios de comunicación su intención de absorber la colección del pintor en una futura Fundación Granadina de Arte Contemporáneo. Los hijos del artista, Lisa y Tony Guerrero, anunciaron a los medios su desacuerdo con este proyecto al considerar que el Centro Guerrero quedaría así diluido en una ambigua entidad, de intenciones y futuro incierto.
No podemos dudar de la sinceridad de dos personas que han elegido renunciar a una herencia de gran valor, en términos económicos, para hacer un regalo a la provincia de Granada. Una elección así suponemos que debería recibir la aprobación de la Diputación de Granada. La petición de que el Centro pueda conservar el nombre del artista, su identidad y una estructura jurídica propia, en la que participen las instituciones y un equipo de expertos independientes, permitiría así el mantenimiento de las actividades de un museo profesional.

Los firmantes pedimos a las autoridades culturales españolas (Ministerio de Cultura, Gobierno andaluz y a las instituciones locales de Granada) que trabajen juntas para garantizar que esta importante colección permanezca en Granada, disponible para todos. Pedimos que el Centro Guerrero continúe su misión cultural de gran calidad, a través de una estructura que conserve el nombre del artista y que cuente con los medios necesarios para su estabilidad y crecimiento futuro.

CIMAM

IN SUPPORT OF THE CENTRO JOSÉ GUERRERO

The future of the Centro José Guerrero is uncertain, as explained in the letter which follows. Please read it, and if you wish to join this initiative, write your name at the end and resend it to this email address: porelcentrojoseguerrero@yahoo.es

The Centro Guerrero to this day is an indisputable reality of the cultural heritage of Granada. It was birthed at the insistence of its citizens and its most active cultural community, and made possible due to the initiative of the Diputacion de Granada and the generosity of the Guerrero family.

José Guerrero was a singular artist of the abstract expressionism in the 1950’s of New York and he was also recognized for his great influence in the artistic renovation of Spain during its political transition.

The Center opened in June of 2000, and since then it has been one of the most brilliant examples of what can be produced and enjoyed in peripheral areas, proving that cultural excellence is not the exclusive right of the capitals of power.

The agreement between the Diputación of Granada, on the one hand, and the family of José Guerrero, on the other, allowed the loan of an important collection of over sixty paintings, archives, and the personal library of the artist to the city of Granada. This was offered by the family, with no monetary compensation, over a designated period of time.

This past 26th of March, with the approach of the tenth anniversary of the inauguration of the Centro Guerrero, the Diputación announced to the media its intention of absorbing the Guerrero collection into the “Granadina Foundation of Contemporary Art” to be created in the future. The artist’s daughter and son, Lisa and Tony Guerrero, also by way of a press release, have announced their disagreement with this project, as they consider that it dilutes the Centro José Guerrero into an ambiguous entity of unknown future and intentions.

No one can doubt the sincerity of two people who have chosen to renounce a valuable inheritance, seen in economic terms, to make an endowment to the people of Granada. A choice that one would hope might be received favorably by the Diputacion of Granada. Their request is that the Centro might continue to carry the artist’s name and its original identity and that it have its own legal structure, whose participating institutions and specialized staff, would manage the activities of the museum professionally.

We the undersigned, request that the Spanish cultural Authorities ( Ministry Of Culture, the Andalusian Government, and the Granada Local Authorities) work together to guarantee that this important collection remain in Granada, available to all. We ask that the Centro Jose Guerrero continue its cultural mission of outstanding quality, through a structure that retains the name of the artist, and that would provide the means necessary for its future stability and growth.

CIMAM

What is CIMAM?
CIMAM –International Committee of ICOM* for Museums and Collections of Modern Art– is a relevant international forum of professional character for the discussion of philosophical, ethical and practical issues concerning the collection and exhibition of twentieth and twenty-first century art.

Composed essentially of the directors and curators of modern and contemporary art institutions, CIMAM achieves its major objectives:
a) the exchange of scientific information and cooperation between museums and between professional visual arts workers, at an international level;
b) the advance of knowledge and understanding of the nature, functions and roles of contemporary art institutions as instruments of social and cultural growth;
c) the development of professional standards; and
d) the identification and effective response to the future needs and issues faced by institutions and the profession.

*Created in 1946, International Council of Museums (ICOM) is a non-governmental organisation of museums and professional museum workers established to advance the interests of museology and other disciplines concerned with museum management and operations. It maintains formal relations with UNESCO and has a consultative status with the United Nations' Economic and Social Council.

How is CIMAM run?
Run by elected volunteers, CIMAM is based on a transparent and democratic system of governance so as to encourage professional criticism and self criticism. At its centre lays the uncompromising belief that museums of modern and contemporary art, public galleries, kunsthalles and other related institutions have the potential to play an irreplaceable and vital role at the heart of contemporary life.

How is CIMAM financed?
CIMAM relies on a variety of funding sources for its activities – fees for services, subventions from ICOM, grants, donations and underwriting from sponsors – which enable the organization to share each year its programs with its members from around the world.