Buenos Aires Palermo

Museo De Arte Latinoamericano De Buenos Aires (Malba). Housed in a beautiful, airy building in northern Palermo, the MALBA is undoubtedly one of Buenos Aires’ best art museums, and unlike many of the city’s other major collections, the MALBA’s focuses solely on Latin American art. The museum’s permanent collection, which is refreshingly manageable in scope, located on the second floor, is named after Eduardo Costantini, the museum’s patron, and moves chronologically through the 20th century. Though some of the works, including those by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, will be recognizable to most visitors, the collection provides an excellent introduction to lesser-known artists, including Argentines Xul Solar and Antonio Berni. The museum also hosts a variety of temporary exhibits, usually held on the third floor and in the basement, on contemporary Latin American artists or quirky themes, as well as an art cinema. (Av. Presidente Figueroa Alcorta 3415. S Agüero. ☎4808 6500; www.malba.org.ar. Open M and Th-Su noon-8pm, W noon-9pm. AR$15, W free.)

Museo Evita. This mecca for all things Eva Perón , inaugurated in 2002 on the 50th anniversary of her death, serves the purpose of preserving (and, to some degree, whitewashing) her legacy. Located in a building she converted into a girls’ home, the exhibit labels spend much of their time quoting from Evita’s own biography and dismissing all critics as cruel, simply accusing them of sharing the sentiment “viva el cáncer!” (the cult-like figure died of cervical cancer at a young age). Suspicions of bias become less surprising once you learn that Evita’s grandniece was the president of the group responsible for establishing the museum. Though it is more of a touristy shrine, complete with sultry background tango music, than a museum, the Museo Evita does have highlights. Unlike most Argentine museums, this one has attempted to provide labels in English. Additionally, the displayed video footage, with clips from one of Evita’s early movies, as well as scenes from the masses in the streets on the day of her funeral, and the day her husband, Juan Perón, first assumed power, merit a visit in their own right. Other pieces in the collection include the first lady’s dresses and suits (these articles alone could fill a massive museum) and editions of her propaganda materials. The ground floor room includes a video from the museum’s opening, but the main draw of the lobby is, surely, the delicious smells wafting from the cafe, technically a separate entity, but a welcome distraction, nonetheless. (Lafinur 2988. S Plaza Italia. Buses 10, 15, 37, 38, 41, 59, 60, 64, 93, 118, 128, and 161 will drop you off nearby on Av. Las Heras. ☎4807 0306/4809 3168; www.museoevita.org or info@museoevita.org. Open Tu-Su and holidays May-Oct. 1-7pm; Nov.-Apr. 11am-7pm. AR$10. Cafe has a separate entrance at Gutiérrez 3926. Open daily 9am-1am.)

Museo Nacional De Arto Decorativo. Set in the turn-of-the-century Palacio Errázuriz, this museum’s setting is just as impressive as its collection. Designed by French architect René Sergent and built in 1911 for the Chilean diplomat Matías Errázuriz and his wealthy Argentine wife Josefina de Alvear, the palace’s grand halls and decadent rooms showcase the couple’s extravagant art collection, which encompasses numerous centuries as well as styles. Everything from 18th-century Bohemian cut glass to 16th-century Flemish tapestries to 17th-century Russian portraits are on display, and many well-known artists are represented, including El Greco and Manet. Though periods and styles are jumbled together, the collection’s lack of organization only serves to grant the palace the more relaxed feeling of a home—albeit it an uncommonly luxurious one—as opposed to that of a museum. If you do start to feel comfortable here and choose to stay a bit longer, by night, the museum’s grand hall also serves as a venue for literary and classical music events, ranging in price from free to AR$50; see the website for the current schedule. (Av. del Libertador 1902. S Agüero. ☎4801 8248; www.mnad.org. Open Jan.-Feb. Tu-Sa 2-7pm; Mar.-Dec. Tu-Su 2-7pm. AR$2. Guided English-language tours Tu-Su 2:30pm. AR$8.)

Museo De Artes Plásticas Eduardo Sívori. The Rosedal’s white Puente Principal (main bridge) spits you out at the door of this colorful eight-room museum, filled with canvases by Argentine artists from the first six decades of the 20th century. The collection boasts more than 3000 works, though only a handful are actually displayed. Opened in 1938, the museum takes its name from Eduardo Sívori (1918-47), famous as the “painter of the Pampa” and a founder of the Argentine National Academy of Fine Art. Originally a businessman, Sívori visited Europe at the age of 27 to take up painting. The rest is history. Just inside the first door you can see one of his pieces, the delicate Pampa (c. 1902), Paintings are grouped by school, with many of the museum’s most famous works coming from the so-called Boca School, here represented by Benito Quinquela Martín (1890-1977) and Emilio Pettouruti (1892-1971), a Cubist and friend of Xul Solar , another famed Argentine artist. The museum’s most important piece is Chacareros (c. 1952), or Farmhands, a work by Antonio Berni (1905-1981), the painter responsible for some of the frescoes at the Galerías Pacífico downtown. Berni briefly dabbled in Communist Party politics, his paintings reflecting personal concerns about the lower classes in society. The exhibit signs, all in Spanish, seem primarily to be an exercise in name-dropping more artistic figures. The back of the museum features a patio with cafe and sculpture garden. (Av. Infanta Isabel 555. S Plaza Italia, Palermo, and Ministro Carranza. ☎4775 7093; www.museosivori.org. Museum and cafe open Tu-F noon-6pm, Sa-Su and holidays 10am-6pm. AR$1, W and Su free.)

Casa Museo Ricardo Rojas. Opened as a museum in 1958, this elegant stone building was formerly the home of Ricardo Rojas (1992-1957), a prominent writer and teacher. Rojas, born into a wealthy family in the province of Santiago de Estero (his father was governor of the province), served as the rector of the University of Buenos Aires from 1926-1930 and founded the Institute of Argentine Literature and Folklore. Like many members of the early 20th-century BA intelligentsia, Rojas was preoccupied with the development of “cultural nationalism”—something Argentina, a country mostly composed of European immigrants, lacked for many years. Unlike Sarmiento, who hoped to “civilize” the country, Rojas believed that indigenous influences played a large role in making up Argentine identity. The other two ingredients were Spanish heritage and the soil itself. His home, designed by Angel Guido, reflects this philosophy—it combines Spanish architecture with more native touches. Fervent nationalism eventually contributed to the spark of a 1930 military coup. The coup prompted Rojas to join the Radical Party, though his activities led to four months of incarceration in Tierra del Fuego in 1934. His most popular work, El Santo de la Espada , told the biography of San Martín and was an attempt to distance Argentina’s mythic founding father from militaristic influences. The museum collection includes more than 30,000 books from Rojas’s personal library. (Charcas 2837. Closed for renovation at the time of publication. If the guard is around, you can still poke your head around the patio, arguably the house’s best feature.)

Museo Nacional Del Hombre. This tiny museum, housed in the mouthful Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Pensamiento Latinoamericano (National Institute of Latin American Anthropology and Thought), displays both Argentine archaeological finds as well as modern indigenous crafts. The pieces on display, including a number of the Stone Age ceramics and colorful, modern textiles, basketwork, and jewelry, are of exceptional quality and beauty, but the exhibits are poorly put together and the information is only in Spanish. For those who do understand Spanish and have a specific interest, however, this museum is a great introduction to Argentina’s past and present indigenous cultures. (Tres de Febrero 1378. S Olleros. ☎4782 7251; www.inapl.gov.ar. Open M-F 10am-7pm. Free.)

Museo De Arte Popular José Hernández. This small, somewhat boring museum, dedicated to preserving the relics of traditional Argentine life on the Pampas, was named for José Hernández (1834-1886), the poet who authored El Gaucho Martín Fierro (1872), a 2316-line epic poem about military campaigns in the Argentine provinces. The permanent collection showcases Argentine and indigenous arts and crafts, including local silverware, the gaudy sequined costumes worn in honor of carnaval, and a display on the poncho. The most interesting part of the museum is a small laminated booklet in the last room with 1930s newspaper clippings documenting the life and death of Argentine sportsman Felix Bunge (1894-1935), the original owner of museum’s house. Before his mucamo (servant) murdered him, Bunge ran his aristocratic Argentine circles during the boom years of the 1920s as a part-time supporter of reactionary politics and the trainer of world-class boxing legend Luis Ángel Firpo (look for the picture of the two of them together, with Firpo towering over Bunge). The exhibit labels are only in Spanish, leaving much to the imagination. The museum itself is located in four rooms in the complex’s second building, which you access by passing through a pleasant interior courtyard. The museum also offers classes and workshops—see the website for more details on enrollment. (Av. del Libertador 2373. S Scalabrini Ortiz. Buses 10, 37, 38, 41, 59, 60, 67, 92, 93, 95, 102, 108, 110, 118, 128, and 130. ☎4803 2384/4802 7294; www.museohernandez.org.ar. Open Tu-F 1-7pm, Sa-Su and holidays 10am-8pm. AR$3, residents AR$1, Su free. Spanish guided tours Tu-F 2:30-6pm and Su 2-7pm.)

Museo Metropolitano. Despite its name, this museum well off the beaten path is more of an art gallery than anything, home to rotating exhibits by contemporary artists. The building, the Palacio Anchorena, represents one of the fine turn-of-the-century Palermo Chico mansions, one of many that has since passed on to the government. Built in 1906 by Alejandro Christophersen (1866-1945) for the Mesquita Luro family, it was eventually sold to the Anchorena family . Before its turn as a museum, the mansion played host to the Ministry of International Relations and Culture. An elegant stone courtyard, complete with cafe and antique shop, complements the wood-paneled interior. Though the art collection is nothing special, a trip here is worth it for the opportunity to see a classic Palermo mansion. (Castex 3211. ☎4802 1911 and 4803 4458; museo@museomet.org.ar. Open M-Sa 2-8pm. Free.)