Gaudí of the Axarquía finalizes the opening of his museum in Torremolinos

It doesn't present itself as a building, it's "a heartbeat," in other words, "as if someone had decided to turn their dreams into walls, their memories into mosaics, and their life into art."

This idea, which is nothing other than the transformation of a home into a work and space for creation, is credited to Antonio Montañez, who is called the Gaudí of the Axarquía. It is no coincidence.

This idea, which is nothing other than the transformation of a home into a work and space for creation, is credited to Antonio Montañez, who is called the Gaudí of the Axarquía. It is no coincidence.

Although his profession is carpentry, Montañez, a native of the hamlet of El Valdés in Moclinejo, is known for giving new life to corners of the municipality with designs made from construction materials and waste; he is also known for using the technique called 'trencadís,' which was devised by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí; a system which, for example, has also been adopted by Santiago Calatrava to give a unique stamp to the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia.

In Montañez's case, the Casa Museo de la Axarquía, a five-story, 300 square meter building, is his greatest legacy, although he himself will compete with another attraction, at Tirreno Street, 7, Torremolinos, near Playamar, where, using the methods that have already made him famous, he will soon open another space for art, this time, of 500 square meters.

A heterogeneous place

A heterogeneous place, where visitors will find everything from a selection of antique toys to pieces from the Mensaque tile factory in Seville, sculptures by various artists, including Montañez, or photographs of the past Torremolinos and its glorious tourist beginnings, along with paintings from that era, from various places.

For the opening, which is pending the final paperwork, the father of the new museum in the coastal city announces a collective exhibition, with almost fifty artists.

Once open to the public, those who visit will find nods to Málaga and the Montañez family; a journey that will allow them to discover the place where this restless man unleashes his artistic passions and also resides.