José Guirao

José Guirao Cabrera (9 June 1959 – 11 July 2022) was a Spanish cultural manager and art expert who served as Minister of Culture and Sport in the government of Pedro Sánchez between 2018 and 2020. He was also Member of the Congress of Deputies.

Previously, he was director of the Reina Sofía Museum between 1994 and 2001 and director of the La Casa Encendida from 2002 and 2014. He was also Director-General of the Montemadrid Foundation until his appointment as minister, a private non-profit organization that works in favor of inclusion and equal opportunities, promotes a participatory citizenship with access to education, employment and culture and favors the conservation of the environment.

Career

Guirao was born on 9 June 1959 in Pulpí, Province of Almería, in Andalusia and was the son of Lucas Guirao Valverde and Mercedes Cabrera Rodríguez. He was the youngest of four siblings; Bernardino, Beatriz and Ana Isabel. Guirao graduated in Spanish Philology from the University of Murcia, although he studied one of the grades in the University of Granada. His deskmate was Luis García Montero, poet and current Director of Instituto Cervantes. Guirao was the manager of the Cultural Department of the Provincial Council of Almería from 1983 to 1987.

From 1988 to 1993, Guirao occupied the position of Chief Manager of Cultural Assets at the Regional Government of Andalusia. He developed projects such as the General Plan of Cultural Heritage of Andalusia, the Law 1/91 of the Historical Heritage of Andalusia, the project of the Andalusian Center of Contemporary Art and the creation of the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage.