CA N’OLIVER

Ca n’Oliver is one of my favourite places to visit in Menorca. It is a gallery packed full of historical maps and pictures of the island. There is a room dedicated to the British Minorca as well as an illustrated cartography collection. The Oliver family was one of the primary families of the bourgeoisie of the 18th and 19th century Mahon. Llorenç Oliver Morillo (1766-1810) was the first to diversify the family business acting as a contractor of military supplies while he simultaneously maintained business relations with ports around the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. As a symbol of his increasing influence, he had the family estate constructed in an up and coming area of the city. This beautiful house is now converted into a fantastic gallery and there is even a viewing tower on the roof with great views of Mahon.

Menorca I La Llum De Nord

There is a special exhibition at the gallery running until 24th September 2023. It features Northern European artists that have made their home in Menorca, attracted by the light and the landscape of the island. It is dedicated to Hans Hartung and Anna Eva Bergman who built a house in Cala Tirant in 1933, the first example of rationalist architecture. There are works from 10 different artists on display, from the UK, France, Germany, Sweden, Belgium and Norway. In addition to the works of Hans Hartung and Anna-Eva Bergman, there are displays by Arnulf Bjorndal, Hermann Pabst, Ron Webb, Bettina Gleiss, Francois Perri, Alfred Hutchison, Theresia Malaise and Lindsay Mullen. The exhibition has been organised by Maó Town Council and Menorca Island Council

Carles Jiménez, the curator, took us on a guided tour of the exhibition. We started in the room dedicated to the work of Lindsay Mullen. Lindsay arrived in Menorca in 1972 at the age of 16 to learn Spanish and she started to paint here on the island and experienced an ‘epiphany’. Influenced by Turner and Constable, the mysterious island had an influence on her work and the canvases became a portal for the expression of her feelings. Lindsay moved to Biniarroca in 1983 which she described as ‘the finest picture I have ever painted’.

Hermann Pabst was a gifted portrait artist and draughtsman who built a house for himself in Binisafuller Roters in 1964. He used charcoal and graphite to create dark portraits in the years of the dictatorship and war but these gave way to more delicate and luminous drawings.

Arnulf Bjorndal and his wife Ulla first lived in a cave in Cala Tirant in 1962. In 1963 he opened the first art gallery in Menorca, La Taula in Fornells with a group of Spanish and Dutch artists. He was a painter, engraver, actor, poet and cultural activist. Unfortunately, he felt his work received a limited response and he left the island in 1969.

Hans Hartung also had an unfortunate end to his life in Menorca. His abstract paintings containing spots floating in space were interpreted as a secret code and he was accused of spying. He had to leave the island with his wife in 1935 but fortunately his paintings were saved by his friend Joan Gomila, President of the Tourism department.

Alfred Hutchinson, from the Orkney Islands, arrived in Menorca in 1984 seeking a tranquility missing in Mallorca. Ciutadella became his natural home where he said ‘the light and sea are ever present’. He first works were reinterpretations of Celtic Mythology of Scandinavian origin but he has more recently turned to more abstract paintings.

These are just some of the artists with fascinating stories to explore in this exhibition.

Ca n’Oliver Col·lecció HdezSanz-HdezMora is located close to the American Bar at 2 Carrer Anuncivay.

Summer opening Hours:

Tuesday to Saturday, from 10 am to 1.30 pm and from 6 to 8 pm.

Sundays, from 10 am to 1.30 pm Closed on Mondays