BUENOS AIRES
Buenos Aires is big (very big), a balance of 1940’s glamour and capital city grot. The political upheavals of the C20th resulted in little investment in art institutions, but it is catching up. The spirit and vibrancy of the city have translated to a network of commercial galleries and smaller foundations which are attracting international attention.
MUSEO DE ARTE LATINOAMERICANO DE BUENOS AIRES (MALBA)
WEBSITE: WWW.MALBA.ORG.AR
VISIT TIME: 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES
If you are interested in finding out what Latin American art has been up to since the start of the 20th century to date, head over to slick MALBA in the northern part of Palermo. Design by the Argentinian practice AFT Arquitectos, the museum was set up and is still owned by real-estate developer Eduardo Costantini (who had already founded a foundation bearing his name in 1996 to promote cultural activity in the city). In 2001 Constantini donated his collection of 200-strong works by prominent Latin artists thus establishing the collection, which is ever expanding, and now includes works by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Wifredo Lam, Joaquín Torres Garcia, Xul Solar, Emilio Pettorutti, etc. As well as its collection, the museum hosts temporary exhibitions of national and international art offering a stage to local artists, as well as a rich cultural programme of talks, films, debates and more.
FUNDACIÓN PROA
WEBSITE: WWW.PROA.ORG
VISIT TIME: 30 MINUTES
Nestled at the edge of the colourful La Bocca neighbourhood, PROA is a small privately funded foundation set in a refurbished Italian style house. It showcases temporary exhibitions of international artists and international art movements, and its charitable mission is largely educational resulting in a beautiful library, bookshop, and multi-media facilities. The gallery spaces are done to a very high spec but are smaller than average so travelling exhibitions will be trimmed down to fit the space, making for a more compact (but highly enjoyable) viewing experience.
PALERMO ART MAP
WEBSITE: NONE
VISIT TIME: ALL DAY!
Palermo is the boutique-clad, colourful, young, and terribly cool area of Buenos Aires. And like everything in the city, it is quite a large area. On each street corner, there is a bar to visit, a restaurant to try or a designer boutique to wet all appetites. Visit any of the local galleries and pick up the Gallery Days map. When I found it, it was like crack to an addict: I had to do them all. What I found was that as I walked from gallery to gallery, I also saw the best of Palermo and finished the day saturated with cutting-edge art, very well fed, and having spent a few of my pretty pennies on the season’s fashion ‘must haves’.