A mighty museum of miniatures

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http://www.elpais.com/articulo/english/mighty/museum/of/miniatures/elpepueng/20111218elpeng_1/Ten


An elm tree that writer Gabriel García Márquez gave to the museum's creator, Luis Vallejo.- MIGUEL KRAUSE

Luis Vallejo happily explains the details of the bonsais on display in the Alcobendas Bonsai Museum. Maples, pines, junipers, olive trees, oaks... He knows the history of each and every one of the 150 trees displayed there - where they came from and the cities in which they resided throughout their long lives.

Vallejo is one of the patriarchs of the bonsai in Spain and he has put his personal stamp on a museum that stands out for the quality and originality of the pieces on show, and for Vallejo's efforts to unite native trees with works of art by Japanese artists known to be among the best cultivators - legendary figures in the bonsai world.

"Our collection is one of a kind, probably the best in Europe, and maybe in the western world," says Vallejo, standing in front of a juniper designed by Masahiko Kimura, a reputed 20th century master.

The museum's creator is also a landscape artist. His company is called Arceval, which in Spanish is a combination of his favorite tree, the arce (or maple) and the first syllable of his last name. Since he was a small boy he has been drawn to these miniature trees planted in trays, which is what the word bonsai means.