Tenerife Event Explores Historical Ties Between Canary Islands and Flanders

The historical ties between the Canary Islands and Flanders during the Early Modern period are back in the spotlight. As part of an ongoing outreach series that began in mid-May, the Canary Foundation for Flemish Art is hosting a new session this Monday, May 18, at the CajaCanarias Cultural Space in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Starting at 7:00 p.m., the event will explore the cultural and religious influence Flanders had on the islands during the 16th and 17th centuries. The highlight of the evening is the screening of Tenerife and Flanders: Art and Faith, a documentary directed by local filmmaker Roberto Ríos. This film is part of a trilogy commissioned by the foundation to document the Flemish artistic legacy preserved in Tenerife and La Palma.

Following the screening, historians Agustín Guimerá Ravina, a former researcher at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and Manuel Lobo, a professor of Modern History at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, will lead a discussion. Titled The Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands in their Relations with Flanders, the talk will examine the trade routes and cultural exchanges that made these Atlantic islands strategically important in Europe at the time.

This series aims to deepen the understanding of the shared history between the two regions. By highlighting the artistic heritage imported from Northern Europe, the initiative encourages public reflection on the centuries-old economic and social bonds that connected the archipelago to Flemish territories.