Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes

 

In Buenos Aires it has barely stopped raining for the last 2 days.  So yesterday we went to the art gallery, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.  It has a wonderful collection of European art from the last 5 centuries, Incan antiquities and the work of significant Argentine artists - painters, multimedia artists and sculptors.

One gallery had a collection of works by Auguste Rodin including a bronzed plaster cast of "The Kiss" and a marble copy.

There was a room that had works from every European artist you've ever heard of.  In here are all the major French and Dutch post Renaissance artists.  It was wonderful!


It was good to see the works of Argentine artists.  I really liked this one of a bird stealing an empanada.  We have eaten so many empanadas in the last 8 weeks.  Every bakery has its own recipe so they are all different.  The ones we ate in Patagonia stand out as the best pastry and fillings.

 


Pablo Suarez "La terraza"

Oscar Dominguez "Ciclista"

Our children's carer when I was working professed to only know one joke.

Knock knock
Who's there?
Isabel
Isabel who?
Isabel on a bicycle.

Hence, particularly in East Africa where it is seen so infrequently, any woman on a bicycle is dubbed Isabel.  The painting is by Oscar Dominguez.

The Incan antiquities, particularly the pottery was very interesting.   I really liked the 'coffee mugs' made before the Christian era.  I'd be happy to have them in my kitchen.  The wooden 'phone holders' were also very interesting.  I don't know what their practical purpose was. 






The tortoiseshell hair combs were spectacular.  This one would have been about 30 cm across.  There were other ones that were bigger.  The tortoises are huge so I suppose the material was there!  


We walked for several kilometres through the drizzle to get to the gallery.  On our walk we saw lots of evidence of people sleeping in the street.  Economic times are tough in Argentina.  This is nothing new as this painting shows.

Ernesto de la Carcova "Sin pan y sin trabajo"



Its title "Sin pan y sin trabajo"  means "No bread and no work" and it is from 1894. I found it very poignant.

And lastly, no prizes for guessing the artist for this one!  



On the way to the gallery we serendipitously happened upon a craft market.  The market went for several blocks of a narrow street.  It was a dog free zone which we really appreciated.  Of course there were earrings to look at and so much more!





Microweaving was very much a part of Incan culture.



  I liked these chess sets,  especially the Jesuits v the locals.  There was also the Incas v the Spaniards.



Me looking at the chess sets.


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