Museum of International and Contemporary Art

Originally developed with the purpose to protect Lanzarote, The Museum of International Contemporary Art was built between 1776 and 1779.

The fortress like construction was built during difficult times in Lanzarote. The construction not only had the purpose of defence of the island but also helped to create many jobs following the devastation of the Volcanic eruptions in the 1730s. This is why the fortress became known as the Fortaleza del Hambre, which translates as the Hunger Fortress.

As the defence of the island became less of an issue, the building become redundant and started to break down. Manrique was given authority to convert the castle into an art gallery. The Contemporary Art Museum was opened in 1976. Like many of the attractions on Lanzarote, the current use of the Fortress can be attributed to Cesar Manrique.

Today, the museum hosts collections of paintings and sculptures by Manrique himself, along with other well known artists from around the world, including Picasso. The building also contains a purpose-designed concert hall with amazing acoustics.

As with all of Manriques attractions on Lanzarote, he finalised his design with a restaurant and bar within the museum. The front of the fortress now has a panoramic window that overlooks the harbour of Arrecife.