There is no shortage of museums, galleries, and other art venues in Buenos Aires, the bustling metropolis on the Río de la Plata. Too bad, then, that they are spread across so many different quarters, with melodious names like Recoleta, Retiro, Palermo, and Belgrano. Carefully planning your art sojourn, therefore, is crucial. The comparatively cheap black-and-yellow taxis and their friendly drivers will do the rest. Aside from the private museums presented in this guide, one should definitely visit the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, with its extensive collections of European and Argentine art from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century.
International art discourse continues at the private Fundacíon Proa, in the colorful harbor district of La Boca. Whether Rosemarie Trockel, Louise Bourgeois, or the Argentine rising star Leandro Erlich—all have had a big show in this gleaming white building. Even the bookstore is worth a visit. You can also find a fine selection of Argentine and international art books and magazines in the well-stocked Librería Purr, on the grand boulevard Avenida Santa Fe. The galleries Ruth Benzacar and Jorge Mara-La Ruche, both regular exhibitors at Art Basel Miami Beach, offer Argentine avant-garde at the highest level. Each year in late May, right in Argentina’s autumn, the art fair Arteba, which specializes in Latin American art, attracts up to 120 000 visitors. Friends of photography will find fine works at the photography fair Buenos Aires Foto, at the end of October. This fair is organized by the team behind the website Arte Online, which also organizes gallery nights on the first Thursday of each month. There are also off-spaces, but here they have a rather nomadic character or are open for one show only. It’s best to pay attention to local flyers to discover what’s going on.