Evaristo Guerra opens exhibition of his Christmas cards for Diario SUR in Torre del Mar

An exhibition of 25 paintings created for Diario SUR's annual Christmas card by Vélez-Málaga-born artist Evaristo Guerra officially opened on Friday 17 July at the office in Torre del Mar on the eastern Costa del Sol. Family, friends, local politicians and fans packed the venue to join the popular artist for the opening.

Guerra, 84, explained that this was the first time the 25 original paintings, which were specially created for Diario SUR’s Christmas cards from 2001 until 2025, have been on display together. Along with the designs for the cards, there are a two fans, also designed by Evaristo Guerra for the Malaga Fair in 1999 and 2009-10, which are currently part of his personal collection.

The artist explained that "every year, Diario SUR organised an exhibition in Malaga featuring works by more than twenty painters, but the twenty-five pieces I created over all these years had never before been shown together."

The exhibition catalogue features an introduction by Javier Recio, editor-in-chief of Diario SUR and provides a more detailed insight into the origins and development of a collection closely linked to the recent history of Christmas in Malaga. In his introduction, Recio explains that Guerra "hasn't missed a year" since the newspaper launched the charity initiative in 2001.

“They are little gems, works slightly larger in size than the cards. I’ve put my heart into them and I hope lots of people will come to see and enjoy them,” Guerra said.

The artist explained that this exhibition marks his return to Torre del Mar as an artist after 47 years. His first exhibition in the town took place at the former Caja de Ahorros de Ronda, which was then run by Fernando Casquero. “Fernando Casquero opened that door for me 47 years ago, and today Jesús Pérez Atencia has opened the doors of this Tourist Office for me. It gives me great pleasure to be exhibiting in Torre del Mar once again,” said the painter, referring to the deputy mayor of Vélez-Málaga.

During the inauguration the mayor of Vélez-Málaga, Jesús Lupiáñez, addressed the question on everyone's minds: why an exhibition of Christmas cards in the middle of summer? "Christmas is never far off. Just yesterday I was speaking to the people from Pastelería Ramos in Caleta de Vélez about what flavour turrones they will be preparing this year," referring to the popular bakery in the town which is famous for its creative flavours of the traditional Christmas sweet treat.

Councillor for culture, Alicia Ramírez, invited residents and visitors to discover an exhibition that offers an insight into a very significant part of Evaristo Guerra’s artistic career. She said, "To speak of Evaristo Guerra is to speak of one of the great artistic icons of our region. He is an artist who has managed to transform the landscapes of the Axarquía, the light of the Mediterranean, the essence of our villages and the colour of our region into a language of his own, recognised both within and beyond our province."

The exhibition will remain open to the public until 10 August at the Torre del Mar tourist information office. Opening hours are Monday to Friday from 9am to 2pm and 5 to 9pm; Saturday 10am to 2pm and 5 to 9pm and Sundays 10am until 2pm.