- The City Council of Valencia and the Associació Cultural Martín Vargas pay tribute to one of the great references of Spanish dance with this exhibition.
- Nicknamed “El Gitano de la Voz de Oro”, his art transcended frontiers, and he triumphed on international stages and in the cinema
- In Valencia he created the Martín Vargas Spanish Ballet and dedicated his life to the training of new generations of dancers.
The Galeria del Tossal offers, until next May, the exhibition entitled “The artistic legacy of Martín Vargas. A trip to the memory”, an exhibition with which the City Council of Valencia and the Cultural Association Martín Vargas pay tribute to one of the great references of Spanish dance, Valencian born in the town of Villamarxant, on the centenary of his birth.
The exhibition includes images of the artist both dancing and posed, promotional posters of his performances, costumes and props, as well as documents that reflect his passage through the stages of Europe and America, such as tickets, hand programs or press reviews, among others. As stressed by the organizers of the exhibition, this is “an artist who left an indelible mark on the history of dance”.
Fernando Martín Caurín (Vilamarxant, 1925 – València, 1999), better known as Martín Vargas, stood out for his innate talent since his beginnings as a copla singer and dancer. Throughout his career, Vargas, nicknamed “El Gitano de la Voz de Oro” (The Gypsy of the Golden Voice), achieved great recognition both in Spain and South America, where he performed on numerous stages. He even made it as far as Hollywood, where he had the opportunity to participate in the film “Maracaibo” (1958) and in the Walt Disney series ‘Zorro’.
His return to Spain marked a turning point in his career. As principal dancer in renowned companies such as those of Mariemma and José Greco, he consolidated his prestige before founding his own Spanish dance company.
At the Gran Teatro del Liceo in Barcelona, he shone in “El Amor Brujo” and “Carmen”, where he reaffirmed his choreographic talent.
Vargas shared the stage with iconic figures such as Lola Flores and directed choreographies for the Spanish National Ballet. His emblematic piece “Caracoles” remained in the repertoire for almost a decade. In his last years, he returned to Valencia, where he created the Martín Vargas Spanish Ballet and dedicated his life to the training of new generations of dancers.
The exhibition can be visited until May 4 with free admission, during the usual opening hours of the Galeria del Tossal. The councilman of Cultural Action, Heritage and Cultural Resources, José Luis Moreno, presided over the opening of the exhibition a few days ago, a ceremony attended by the artist’s daughter and granddaughter, María and Jéssica Martín, as well as political representatives of Vilamarxant and members of the Associació Cultural Martín Vargas.
Moreno has encouraged citizens to visit this exhibition to get closer to the figure of Martín Vargas and to know his work and learn about his legacy.