Chavela Vargas, who attained legendary status through her renditions of Mexican ranchera music throughout much of the Spanish-speaking world in her final years, died on August 3, at the age of 93. Born Isabel Vargas Lizano in Costa Rica, before being abandoned by her parents as a child, she moved to Mexico aged 17, in 1936. Her arrival coincided with the rise of ranchera music, which like country music in the United States, was initially a celebration of rural values, but soon became a format to explore themes such as the hopelessness of love, the sorrows of which are best drowned in the bottle. Vargas soon became part of the circle of artists and hangers on associated with painters … [Read more...] about A life in song
Spain News
A dilemma for Spain’s Socialists
Leading an opposition party during a time of economic crisis should, in theory, be a straightforward job, with none of the worries and responsibility that governing in such times entails. But in Spain, that’s not the case for Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, who was chosen to continue heading the Socialist Party earlier this year, despite losing the 2011 general elections. Rubalcaba is one of Spanish politics’ canniest figures. Critics confer on him the sinister powers of a Rasputin, due to his alleged ability to manipulate issues and people behind the scenes. But his gift for communicating also puts most of his political colleagues in the shade. One television reporter tells of how, when making … [Read more...] about A dilemma for Spain’s Socialists
Gregorio Peces-Barba: symbol of the transition and staunch monarchist
Gregorio Peces-Barba, one of the authors of Spain’s Constitution, and an advocate of the role therein of the monarchy, died on July 24 aged 74 after being admitted to hospital a week earlier suffering from a kidney complaint and heart problems. From a well-to-do family that backed the losing side in the Spanish Civil War — his father, a lawyer and advisor to the Republican army, was given a death sentence, later commuted — Peces-Barba grew up in Madrid during the harsh years that followed General Francisco Franco’s victory, first attending the Lycée Français with exiled King Simeon of Bulgaria, and then the Complutense University where he obtained first a law degree and then a … [Read more...] about Gregorio Peces-Barba: symbol of the transition and staunch monarchist
Vasconcelos finds a Baroque home in Versailles
Lisbon-based Joana Vasconcelos is the latest artist to be featured at the annual contemporary art exhibition at the Palace of Versailles, France. Joana Vasconcelos Versailles includes a number of works, including site-specific pieces, within the state apartments and gardens of the Baroque palace. Born in Paris, Vasconcelos studied art in Lisbon, where she now lives and works. She has won a number of prizes including the Prémio EDP Novos Artistas in 2000 and the Fundação Berardo’s The Winner Takes it All in 2006, resulting in Néctar, which sits at the entrance of the Museu Colecção Berardo in Lisbon. She captured international attention with her participation at the 2005 Venice Biennale … [Read more...] about Vasconcelos finds a Baroque home in Versailles
Singing miners march on Madrid
Miró and co. still in demand despite the crisis
On the heels of a successful Art Basel show in Switzerland in June, Europe’s largest auction houses have started their own summer selling seasons with some strong results. One of the highlights of Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Sale in London on June 19, 2012, was a worldwide record set for Joan Miró’s Peinture (Étoile Bleue), c.1927. The painting sold for £23.5 million, well over pre-sale estimates of £15-20 million and three times its price when it last sold at auction in 2007. Other works by Miró that fared well at the auction included a later gouache, Tête, that sold for over £260,000, exceeding its estimates of £150-200,000. There were also a handful of Salvador Dalí and … [Read more...] about Miró and co. still in demand despite the crisis
New co-payment scheme for Spanish medical prescriptions
This is the information we are aware of at the time of writing. On July 1 a co-payment system for prescriptions in Spain was introduced. Everyone now has to make a contribution towards the cost of medical prescriptions in Spain according to their income. This new co-payment system is being implemented in two stages: Stage 1 From July 1 anyone given a prescription in Spain should notice that it will include the percentage of the cost of the medication that they have to pay. This percentage will be taken from information about your income obtained from the annual resident tax declaration (IRPF). Anyone with an income greater than €18,000 a year will have to pay half the cost of the … [Read more...] about New co-payment scheme for Spanish medical prescriptions
Spain’s golden generation rewrites history
Spanish captain Iker Casillas was at it again on Sunday night. Though he has long been crowned San Iker by his club fans, he may just have performed the three miracles needed to obtain sainthood. The culmination of the three-week tournament played in Poland and Ukraine ended with the goalkeeper lifting the Henri Delaunay trophy for the second time. In between European championships, La Roja were also crowned world champions in South Africa 2010. In the final, Spain gave a commanding performance in a 4-0 rout of Italy, a side they had failed to beat over 90 minutes for 98 years. Their route to the final began against the very same team, and the Azzurri were the only side to have scored … [Read more...] about Spain’s golden generation rewrites history
Spain’s true crisis isn’t economic, it’s institutional
As Spain has moved closer to what looks increasingly like economic disaster, there have been a couple of surprising - even heartening - moves by the country’s senior politicians lately. One was the announcement made by Socialist leader Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba that his party offered its full support to the conservative government going into the key European summit in Brussels on June 28. This rare instance of political unity was accompanied by an unusual show of stark public honesty by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. “We can’t finance ourselves at these levels of interest much longer,” said the man who had denied that Spain would request a bank bailout days before it did so, and who said he … [Read more...] about Spain’s true crisis isn’t economic, it’s institutional
Spain’s Basque Country glimpses peace despite political barriers
As citizens of Barcelona recently commemorated 25 years since ETA's bombing of Hipercor supermarket, which killed 21 and injured 45, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon that the Basque Country is entering a new, if somewhat arduous, era of peace. Following ETA's announcement of a permanent end to armed activity in October last year, earlier this month the group considered to be its youth wing, SEGI, also disbanded. The arrests of 90 of its members in the space of three years, as well as the increased difficulty of entering the ranks of ETA, undoubtedly contributed to SEGI's decision to fold. Tuesday June 19, 1987 is a day that would go down as the bloodiest in ETA's history. The … [Read more...] about Spain’s Basque Country glimpses peace despite political barriers