Genalguacil lies between the River Genal and the Bermeja Mountains in the heart of the Ronda Highlands. It is a little mountain village remarkable for its leafy surroundings, always green thanks to the abundance of water in this region. The urban district has preserved a large part of its ancient Moorish street plan and has quite steep grades due to the rugged local terrain, which is a common characteristic of mountain villages.

Something that is not so common, however, is the way this place has been able to take advantage of the beauty of the area by means of an idea that is as simple as it is original: to put the name Genalguacil on the radar screen of creative figures in the plastic arts by holding the “Encuentro de Arte del Valle del Genal” (Genal Valley Art Seminar) here.

The local Town Hall initiated this project a few years ago. Once it had become well established after several productions the village was converted into a sort of “living museum”, as the works created by the artists become the property in common of the residents. This was a quite unusual idea in that the intention is to blend art and nature into the everyday life of a small community.

It is no wonder, then, that this “seminar”, which is held every two years from 1 to 15 August, has acquired international importance and become an example for others to follow. The participating artists gather during that period and turn the village into a huge workshop and focal point for interchanging artistic ideas and practices, all in the everyday atmosphere of this small locality whose residents have grown accustomed to more than a few “eccentricities” of modern art and sometimes of the creators themselves. This fellowship between outsiders and local people has enabled art to become, as in no other place, no longer just a medium of expression but also one of communication and, in the end, of cultural invigoration.


Works made of materials that allow them to be exposed to the elements are incorporated into the street scene of the village—the rules of the seminar make no restrictions as to materials, styles or techniques that may be used—in such a way that a tour of the urban layout of Genalguacil is like visiting an outdoor modern art museum. 

Creations that must be kept in an enclosed space for preservation (especially paintings) are set up in salons that have come to form a genuine conventional museum, but both kinds become part of the heritage of the village and of the numerous visitors who come to Genalguacil in greater numbers each year during the first fortnight of August to witness the holding of the “seminar”, or during any time of the year to enjoy this highly unusual museum concept.

Starting at Estepona on the Costa del Sol (on the AP-7; N-340 expressway) take Highway MA-557 and after going across Peñas Blancas Pass either continue on the MA-557 and go through Jubrique or take the MA-558. Both routes lead to Genalguacil. If you are coming from Ronda take HighwayA-369, which connects that city with Algeciras, and go to Algatocín. Genalguacil is some 12 kilometres from that village on the MA-536.