Is it Argentine or European? A review of the permanent exhibition space at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires.
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
Flora Gilchrist
Impressionism is a mid- to late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century art movement that quickly dominated Europe. Originating in France, painters such as Gustave Courbet, Édouard Manet, Charles-François Daubigny, and Claude Monet exhibited together with great success until their final exhibition in 1886. These artists foregrounded a new artistic style characterised by a muted colour palette, thick textures, and soft brushwork, drawing in audiences across Europe. Beyond Europe, America and Russia also readily accepted impressionism, with many Americans in the 1870s travelling abroad to France, including visiting Claude Monet’s hometown, for artistic inspiration.
Another means by which interest in impressionism spread was through French art dealers, collectors, and wealthy members of the bourgeoisie. For example, French art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel bought the works of Monet, Pissarro, and Renoir, triggering the beginning of a European surge in collecting impressionist artworks. Due to impressionism originating in France and being circulated by French art dealers, one would assume that impressionism was a Western fascination and creation, an interest that only spread as far as America and Russia. This Eurocentric view is challenged when we turn to South America, specifically Argentina, with its strong enthusiasm for European impressionist art. The question, then, is why impressionist works feature so prominently in the permanent collections of museums across the continent?
The most prominent example of cross-cultural exchange can be found in Argentina, specifically at the National Museum of Fine Arts, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Following a recent visit to the museum in Buenos Aires, it was surprising to encounter such an extensive collection of impressionist and post-impressionist works, including paintings by Edgar Degas and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The museum’s Western influence is visually apparent as soon as you walk in, with nineteenth century Western European works positioned as the first section closest to the gallery entrance.
The entire European art section, which spans nearly the entire ground floor of the museum, is painted deep red, and most works are adorned with gold-encrusted frames. Antique statues and sculptures of famous philosophers line the hallways. The overall gallery experience, even down to the tone and language of the labels, closely mirrors that of many British galleries. Institutions such as the National Museum of Scotland and Tate Britain use similar red-and-gold colour schemes in their European sections. The works themselves are extremely famous, such as Degas’ Two Dancers Yellow and Pink (1898), acting as a centre piece in one of the rooms. After wandering around the entirety of the ground floor, there is little to no indication that the museum is located in Buenos Aires at all. This begs the question, how did these works come to be in Buenos Aires?
This desire to feel at home in a new city prompted many architectural and, by extension, artistic changes in taste. Often referred to as ‘The Paris of Latin America’, many areas of Buenos Aires, such as Recoleta and El Centro, still resemble Western European cities, with their wide Parisian boulevards and Art Deco apartments.
In terms of artistic connections, Argentina was a ready contributor to the World Fairs, which were international exhibitions organised by colonial powers, namely Belgium, France and the United Kingdom, as a means of justifying colonialism and showcasing technological progress, goods, and imperial reach. Argentina participated in the French World Fairs of 1855 and 1889. The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes has a deeper connection to Europe, however, with the gallery since 1911 being housed in the Argentine Pavilion, which was a large Art Deco-style building utilised in the Paris World Fair of 1889.
There was a clear cultural exchange here, with Argentina contributing its artworks to the World Fairs in return for cultural recognition from Western Europe. By 1910, the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes had already acquired works by Francisco de Goya, Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, Edgar Degas, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, confirming its ambition to position itself within a European artistic canon.
So, at first, this initial surprise at encountering such a wealth of famous impressionist artworks during a visit to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, is in fact, no coincidence at all. The cross-cultural ties between France, Italy and Germany are proudly displayed in this gallery, aiming to balance their complicated European ties with indigenous Argentinian works. It remains a question, however, as to whether this balance has been correctly done. It is important to note that on the ground floor, the entire Argentinian art section is placed in a separate wing of the gallery. Although positioned near the entrance and the impressionist and post-impressionist section, the Argentinian art is not included in this canonical display of European art and is displayed off to the side in an isolated section.
It is no doubt a difficult task to fully encapsulate the complicated relationship between Argentina, its Western European roots, and its indigenous past and present-day population; however, it might seem a shame to some viewers wanting to see Argentine art to instead be confronted with Renoir and Manet.
