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11/02/2005: "One Step Closer to a Larger Museum" by Veronica Caminos

Buenos Aires, Argentina
In early September of this year, just days after a unanimous approval of Argentina’s proposed “law of patronage” by its Senate House, the Secretary of Culture of the city of Buenos Aires, and the president of Fiat Argentina announced that the Museum of Modern Art of Buenos Aires (MAMBA) will finally be able to break ground on its long-awaited addition designed by Argentine architect, Emilio Ambasz.

The city’s Secretary of Culture, the president of Fiat Argentina and the Association of Friends of MAMBA announced that construction of the museum addition, donated by New York-based architect Ambasz in 1998, will commence in 18 months. Full approval of the “law of patronage”, now due to go before the Argentine House of Representatives, is key to financing the project as this proposal aims to foster private patronage of public cultural projects by means of tax exemptions. The original budget for the addition, estimated when the Argentine peso and the US dollar were one to one, was 11 million pesos and was to be funded by the Interamerican Development Bank (BID). Seven years later, the museum project has lost the funding promised by the BID. The project, currently estimated at 20 million pesos, will now be financed by a combination of city funds and private patronage.

Ambasz’s architectural design reflects both his longtime interest in blurring the line between architecture and landscape as well as his first-hand experience with the intricacies of the modern museum. Ambasz served as the curator of the New York Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) between the years of 1970 and 1976. He is known for draping his buildings over with landscaping and water features; his design firm has a simple but powerful motto: “Green over the gray”. The new MAMBA plans join the Museum of Modern Art with its neighbor to the west, the smaller Museum of Film. The two museums are currently housed in existing buildings located in the city’s San Telmo district. The new project combines the museum buildings by means of two large unifying façades. The rear façade faces an elevated highway and is comprised of large multiple screens. The street facade uses a matrix of vertical “hanging” gardens to frame the restored façade of the MAMBA’s current home, a 19th century factory building, and to obscure the façade of the second existing building, an office building from the 1950’s. The vertical plantings will incorporate a special irrigation system that will not only serve to irrigate the plants but will create an iridescent rainbowlike effect on the building walls. The new project will also feature an additional 2,000 square meters of space, for a total area of 11,000 square meters, and promises to bring the gallery up to date in terms of climate and security controls.

The construction schedule of the MAMBA addition/renovation is estimated at 24 months, placing the inauguration date in early 2009. With its financial hurdles seemingly conquered, the project’s only foreseeable complication is an unanticipated architectural dilemma: in 2001, it was discovered that a small house adjacent to the project site may be the oldest house in the city of Buenos Aires. Urban archeologist Daniel Schavelson has dated portions of house to the year 1730. The two solutions proposed by concerned preservationists are to incorporate the house into the new design or to dismantle the historic structure and move it to another site.

Note: The MAMBA addition/renovation is one of two long-awaited museum projects in Buenos Aires, the second being the Fortabat Collection museum building by Argentine architect Rafael Viñoly (also New York-based). The Fortabat Museum was designed to house a private art collection owned by Amelita Fortabat; the concrete and glass building sits incomplete in the city’s Puerto Madero district, and is rumored to be fraught with construction problems and bogged down in lawsuits. Buenos Aires recently added to its large museum roster the Museum of Latin American Art (the MALBA), which opened in 2001 and houses a large private collection owned by the Constantini family.

© Veronica Caminos. All rights reserved.

Replies: 7 Comments

on Friday, November 11th, Adam Smith said

Just letting you know - your site is fantastic! think that will make relief: http://www.sun.com , black girls on their mission , my parents didnt told me about it

on Monday, November 7th, Alfred Currier said

Buenos Aires is already a cultural superstar in case you haven't been there. It's not just their museums, it's the entire city with it's people. This will be just one more reason NOT to miss BA.

A. Currier

on Saturday, November 5th, Luis Guevara said

Guevara Gallery : is located in the Historic District of San Telmo in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Luis the owners of a building with more than 1.000 mts2, the only store specialized in Art Deco and Art Nouveau.
As second generation of Art Deales, are founder members of the "San Telmo´s Antique Dealers and Friends Association".

We are confident that we have one of the most important collections in the world of WMF (Wurttembergische Metallwarenabrik) Metalwork.
Guevara Gallery has been one of the few selected in South America to be part of their Associates Network.



Best regards Luis Guevara
www.guevaragallery.com

on Wednesday, November 2nd, walt said

Yes, I recognize it. Argentina is an exciting place, especially Buenos Aires. I've also spent some time in Cordoba and will exhibit there again summer of 2006.

on Wednesday, November 2nd, Veronica Caminos said

By the way, the photograph shows the street facade of the existing museum.

on Wednesday, November 2nd, Veronica Caminos said

I am an architect and artist living in Buenos Aires for the last two years. I think the city has incredible cultural offerings and opportunities, and I want to make people outside of Argentina aware of this...

on Wednesday, November 2nd, Walter King said

Veronica,
I had the chance to visit MAMBA in 2001 during my first trip to BA. It was a promising museum in one of the most interesting parts of the city with its own patina of culture and history. This new endeavor will be a wonderful addition to the cities cultural life. MAMBA derserves expansion and will greatly encourage contemporary artists in the city and throughtout Argentina. It should enhance the cultural life of the city along with the main Museum of Art near the Centro Cultural Recoleta and the system of Cultural Centers throughout the city and the country.

And there is another exhibition space near the Recoleta as I recall but can't remember the name--I recently saw the work of the well known cartoonist Quino in that other space a little over a year ago. One of the things I like most about Buenos Aires and Argentinain general is that forms other than standard Fine Art is appreciated. Illustration is seen as an integral part of the arts it seems-- more so than in the US. It is more like in Europe as part of the literary tradition as well as on its own.

I like the work of Carlos Alonso and also the work of Hermenegildo Sabat the famous political and entertainment illustrator for Clarin who is a personal friend. I was introduced to Alonso's work by the cartoonist named Crist.

Bravo Buenos Aires. To begin such a task while still recovering from recent set backs says so much about the courage and stamina of the Argentine people. I wish you well in the endeavor.

May I ask? Are you an artist yourself or involved with arts administration?