BUENOS AIRES AREA BY AREA - Argentina - page 77

Xul Solar and Berni. The works
of Leon Ferrari and Kenneth
Kemble, contemporary
Argentinian conceptual
artists, are also exhibited.
Next door, the Museum
of Contemporary Art
(MACBA) , which
opened in 2012,
houses collections
focused on geometric
abstraction; other
exhibits feature
regional artists and techniques
from Brazil and also the US.

2,500 posters that are vivid
evocations of the 1930s, 40s,
and 50s, the golden era of
cinema in the city, and when
tango movies were all the rage.
There are also posters and stills
from the age of silent films and
from the 1970s onward, when
political dissent began to figure
in the discourse of some left-
leaning directors. The museum
is also considered an important
educational and archival center
and has a well-stocked library
on Argentinian cinema.

The impressive Canto al Trabajo sculpture

3 Canto al Trabajo
Paseo Colon 800. City Map 1 E1.
@ 24, 29, 126, 130, 152.

Unveiled in 1927, this
spectacular bronze sculpture
by the famous Argentinian
sculptor, Rogelio Yrurtia, was
originally located in Plaza
Dorrego. It depicts 14 muscular
laborers towing a colossal
boulder in true Sisyphean style.
The sculpture is an allegory of
working-class hardship and the
dignity of women. The Spanish
name means “Ode to Work.”
Much loved by porteños, the
sculpture nonetheless attracted
the city's many graffiti artists,
and in 1998 an iron fence was
erected around the plinth in an
attempt to keep them out.

5 Museo del Cine
Pablo Ducrós
Hicken
Agustín R. Caffarena 49. City Map 1
E2. Te l [phone]. 29, 64,

86, 130, 152. Open 11am-6pm Mon-
Fri, 10am-7pm Sat, Sun, & hols.

@

&

Wed free. museos.

buenosaires.gob.ar/cine.htm

7 ^ ∑

Named for the film historian
who founded the institute in
1971, this museum has exhibi-
tion rooms filled with posters,
old film reels, and projectors.
The collection includes over

Red brick and gray stone façade of
Museo del Cine

Finding a Milonga
The word milonga is possibly of African origin and, while alluding to
a type of lively tango beat and a country guitar-based folk genre, it
also refers to a salon night in a tango club. Unlike formal shows and
classes, milongas are aimed at those who have a basic knowledge
of tango steps. The basic rules are that men invite women to dance
for three musical tracks after which the partners rest; nobody talks
during the dance; and only those who know how to tango get up.
Although live orchestras are rare these days, there are good milongas
all over the city. The ideal place to start in San Telmo is the Centro
Cultural Torquato Tasso, which hosts milongas over the weekend. The
Club Gricel and La Viruta are other well-known salons, where classes
are combined with the main event.

4 Museo de Arte
Moderno
Ave San Juan 350. City Map 1 E2. Te l
[phone]. @ 29, 64, 86, 130,
152. Open 11am-7pm Tue-Fri,
11am-8pm Sat, Sun, & hols.
Closed Feb. & Tue free. 8 5pm Tue,
Wed, Fri, & Sun (Spanish only).
∑ museodeartemoderno.
buenosaires.gob.ar/mam2.htm
Museum of Contemporary Art: Te l
[phone]. Open noon-7pm
Mon-Fri, 11am-7:30pm Sat & Sun. 8
5pm Wed-Mon. ∑ macba.com.ar

Housed in a recycled tobacco
depot and opened in 1956,
the Museo de Arte Moderno
has no permanent collection
but rotates a number of
exhibitions through the year.
The displays have contained
minor works by Renoir and
Monet, an assortment of pieces
by Matisse, Dali, Miró, and
Mondrian, and important pieces
by leading Argentinian artists

Tango classes for beginners at Club Gricel