About Centro Jose Guerrero
The inauguration of the Centro José Guerrero de la Diputación de Granada in June 2000 took place at a time when other spaces dedicated to contemporary culture had just appeared or were about to do so. In the ensuing years, the map of museums in Spain has been transformed with the opening of numerous art centres outside the capital and whose comon denominator is the search for their own identity.
The Centro José Guerrero de la Diputación de Granada has not avoided the question of identity, indeed it has given the question greater scope and in the new globalized scenario of culture is endeavouring to redefine its objectives and raison d’être, as well as to establish its responsibilities in this new framework.
It is clear that there is no single motive for the creation of a museum or art centre. If that were so it could be thought that, in our case, the relevance of José Guerrero for the painting of the second half of the 20th century were reason enough. José Guerrero was not only one of the most singular figures of American abstract expressionism, but he also exercised considerable influence on the renovation of the Spanish art scene during the democratic transition.
Howeer, despite the outstanding career of the artist, the museum dedicated to his memory is based on the conviction that it must not become a place of worship whose sole activity centres exclusively on his life and work. It has therefore diversified its interests and seeks to become a public space at the service of society, a place that makes possible the confrontation and conciliation of the values and ideas that coincide in contemporary culture.
