Buenos Aires Museums, part 1

Buenos Aires offers an interesting selection of Museums and Art Galleries, so after all the shopping has been done and all the red meat has been eaten, art lovers can spend a few hours getting to know the city in a different, more intellectual way. Some Museums are unique and local, while others are more international and reflect a clear European influence.


Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
Avenida del Libertador 1473
This Museum houses the best collection in Argentina. You have the big Impressionists here---Monet, Cezanne, Degas among others ---and also the work of amazing Argentine artists, like Angel della Valle, Eduardo Sivori, Quiros and others. Don't miss the Bemberg Collection, a gift of late film director Maria Luisa Bemberg. After you are done, walk to nearby cafe Rond Point for a quick lunch (although it lost all of its charm after being "modernized", is still a good spot).

MALBA
Avenida Figueroa Alcorta 3415
This Museum showcases Latin American Art, so you will find Tarsila do Amaral, Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Joaquin Torres-Garcia, Emilio di Cavalcanti... Antonio Berni, Xul Solar...the list goes on an on. The building itself is a very interesting example of contemporary architecture. The cafe/restaurant is very good, and the Museum shop has an interesting selection of books and gifts.

Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo
Avenida del Libertador 1902
Originally the Errazuriz Residence, this magnificent house has been turned into a small Museum filled with antiques and Oriental Art. It is worth a visit just to roam in the space and appreciate how was life a hundred years ago for the well-off. There is an outdoor cafe (Croque Madame) that we highly recommend.

Museo Fortabat
Olga Cossettini 141
This new addition to the city's cultural life is located in Puerto Madero, in a building designed by award winning firm Rafael Viñoly Architects. It holds the magnificent private collection of Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat, one of Latin America's richest women. After the visit, you can walk along the river and cross the Puente de la Mujer, a bridge designed by mega famous architect Santiago Calatrava.

Museo de los Ninos
Avenida Corrientes 3247 - Level 2
Although not a traditional museum, it offers multiple booths---sponsored by big corporations---where children can reenact real life experiences and learn at the same time: anchoring a TV news, taking care of supermarket shelves or assisting a baby doll at a hospital. It is located inside the Abasto Shopping Mall, and it is great to keep kids busy for a couple of hours.

Museo Evita
Lafinur 2988
Everything you always wanted to know about Eva Peron's personal life is here, so you can have a better understanding of this fascinating and controversial figure. There is also a very good restaurant in the premises.

Museo de Arte Hispanoamericano Isaac Fernandez Blanco
Suipacha 1422
This museum is in a quiet street in the Retiro neighbourhood, in an old Spanish style mansion. It holds a number of antiques and old religious pieces, and it has a fantastic courtyard. It is located only half a block from the Sofitel hotel, where you can have a snack before or after the visit.

Another post with Art galleries and more museums, coming up...