The Best Art Museums in Buenos Aires, Argentina

The MALBA, or the Buenos Aires Museum of Latin American Art, is perhaps the most famous contemporary art museum in the whole country. Considered on a par with foreign institutions in New York and London, the MALBA’s permanent collection and temporary exhibitions are housed in a slick, modern gallery space, and in the recent past, works by Jeff Koons as well as exhibitions showcasing works by famous Mexican artists Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros have graced the halls of the museum.

Buenos Aires’ Fine Arts Museum is another important institution in the Argentine capital. They have a huge permanent collection featuring works by many of the art world’s most lauded masters dating back centuries. It has one of the largest collections of art in Latin America, with over 12,000 pieces in the permanent collection. The museum is notable for its important European art collection from the 19th century, as well as its large collection of works by Argentine artists. Admission is free of charge so there is no excuse not to go!.

The Buenos Aires Museum of Contemporary Art is located in San Telmo and opened in 2012. With a focus on trends in contemporary art that relate to geometry and abstraction, the collection was begun by Aldo Rubino in the late 80s. The works collected by Rubino have gone on to have a significant influence on the museum’s direction, and many of the exhibitions the museum hosts today are in line with the abstract geometric paintings that defined the original collection.

This contemporary art gallery and museum in La Boca exhibits work by the most cutting-edge and avant garde artists of yesterday and today. With important retrospectives of Yves Klein’s work and a current exhibition by Ai Wei Wei just some of the shows held in the PROA in recent times, it is surely one of the most important galleries in the country.

The Buenos Aires Modern Art Museum is located right beside its sister museum, the MACBA, in San Telmo. The museum was founded in 1956 by Rafael Squirru and was, from the outset, a bastion of avant garde art in the city. If you want to have a day out in San Telmo, why not check out the San Telmo fair on Defensa Street before crossing the road to the MAMBA and the MACBA to get your culture fix?

Located in the heart of the recently established Arts District, the Usina del Arte is housed in one of the city’s architectural icons, a former factory designed by Italian architect Giovanni Chiogna for the Italian Argentine Electricity Company. It underwent extensive renovations a few years ago and now performs a number of different cultural functions. Not only is it an art gallery and museum, but it is also a concert hall, music venue and cultural centre. It is definitely the heart of the arts district, along with the Centro Metropolitano de Diseno.

This lesser-known museum is perhaps one of the most authentic you will find in Buenos Aires. Located in the port area of La Boca, is it an homage to one of the area’s greatest godfathers, Benito Quinquela Martin. Quinquela Martin was a self-taught artist and La Boca resident who was in large part responsible for the elevation of the neighbourhood from a veritable sewer to one of the city’s first barrios. The museum has works by Quinquela Martin and people who he influenced, as well as folkloric artworks from all around Argentina.