Milagros Lambert, Xàbia’s favourite daughter, passes away at 92
A minutes’ silence was to be held before Friday’s plenary session of the local council to honour the renowned illustrator.
Friday 17th February 2023
Mike Smith
Milagros Lambert Kostrinsky, Xàbia’s favourite daughter – hija predilecta – and granddaughter of the painter André Lambert who discovered the delights of Xàbia back in the early 20th century has passed away at the age of 92.
Heir to a dynasty of Franco-Swiss artists who came to the municipality in 1920, Milagros has always been in love with Xàbia and collaborated with the local council in different actions and exhibitions to expand the artistic legacy of her father and her grandfather.
A great defender of culture, she had taken the name of Xàbia beyond our borders in her different facets as an artist, editor and entrepreneur, maintaining her link with the town through the estate that the family still maintains in Portitxol.
Milagros Lambert was born in Xàbia on April 19th 1930 into a family of artists. Surrounded by art books and drawings, she soon became interested in art and created her first paintings, later entering the Superior School of Fine Arts in Paris. Between 1953 and 1959 she had exhibitions, some of them together with works by her grandfather, André Louis Lambert Perret, and her father, Andrés Lambert Jordan.
In the mid-60s, she immersed herself in the illustration of children’s books, which led her to be presented with the Bologna International Illustration Award. She later created her own publishing house and was a four-time winner of the Bologna Ragazzi Prize. Another professional recognition was the award from the Ministry of Culture of South Korea, for her books.
In 2016 she was named Hija Predilecta de Xàbia by unanimous plenary agreement. As a sign of mourning, a minute of silence was to be observed before the plenary session of the local council to be held today.
