El Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales

That's right.  It's prohibited NOT to touch.  Clever indeed.

I was reading my new favorite Time Out magazine and noticed that there is a hands-on science museum right behind the Recoleta cemetery that I have never seen or heard of before. This reminds me that this city has so much more to offer than meets the eye - this fantastic museum is less that 3 blocks from me and I never knew it was there.  El Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (4807-3260, located behind the Recoleta Cultural Center, Junin 1930 y Quintana) is an interactive science museum ideal for children 4 years old and up.  Their motto "Prohibido no tocar" (it's forbidden not to touch) makes this museum great for any toddling little ones, though under the age of 4 they are probably not understanding a whole lot of the science part.  As of today, the entrance fee is AR$25 for anyone over the age of 4.

We went to the museum on a Saturday, which I will list as a judgement error on my part, and it was packed with people.  My stroller was the bain of everyone's existence as I tried in vain to follow Gretchen around the museum.  Next time, I will go on a weekday, and leave the stroller at the door.

The museum is divided into rooms with clever names like "no me mates matemetica" (don't kill me math) and "la mesa esta servido" (the table is set) which correspond with the theme of the room, like math or food science.  Each room is filled with interactive experiments along with a little blurb about why or how the experiment works, and what to observe.  Needless to say, all of this was a little lost on Gretchen, and honestly, me as well - my Spanish is not up to Science Museum par quite yet, but she had a blast playing with the things nonetheless.  Her favorite room was the Tech room, much to her father's pride and joy, where she was able to play with countless joysticks and push all the remote control buttons her heart desired.

Considering that this museum is within walking distance, and a fraction of the cost of some of the organized classes in town, I will for sure return with Gretchen during the winter months while searching for indoor activities for the kiddos.  Also, it offers the RARE perk of being open during morning hours. It is a really great museum for older kids, and as an adult, I was tempted to play with the exhibits too - win/win!

El Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales
Location: Junin 1930 y Quintana, behind the Recoleta Cultural Center
Phone: 4807-3260
Hours: 10am - 5pm, Tues -Fri; 3:30pm - 7:30pm, Sat & Sun, closed Mondays
Admission: Adults and children over 4 - AR$25. Children under 4 are free.

MALBA

It would be difficult to complete a week (a little more than a week, I know) on Buenos Aires museum postings without mentioning the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, better known as the MALBA.  This is Buenos Aires claim-to-fame museum, and probably the most known museum in Argentina. 

MALBA
Location: Av. Figueroa Alcorta 3415
Phone: (54-11) 4808-6500
Hours: Thurs - Mon 12:00pm - 8:00pm, Wednesday 12:00pm - 9:00pm, closed Tues.
Admission: Adults $18 pesos; students & seniors $9 pesos.  Discounts on Wednesdays, Adults $6 pesos, seniors $3 pesos, students free.

The MALBA opened in 2001, so it is still relatively new to the scene.  The building is very modern, open and airy with lots of glass and extremely high ceilings.  There are a number of traveling exhibits that make their way to the MALBA, we decided to visit during the Andy Warhol exhibit this past February.  We both enjoyed the museum, and there are plenty of beautiful and mysterious pieces to be seen.  I have been thinking about writing this post for awhile but it was always postponed because I am in the minority of people that do not particularly love the MALBA.  I can't blame this on the museum, it is mostly because it is a modern art museum and on the whole, I am not a lover of modern art.  What I do love about the MALBA is that they offer lectures, classes, movies and a book of the month discussion in the auditorium through their malba.literature program.  My friend Christina turned me on to this program and I am forever grateful - Thanks Christina!  These classes are great for me because they help grow my art knowledge and allow me to practice my Spanish at the same time. 

If you're coming to Bs.As., you really need to see the MALBA.  It is a great museum in a wonderful location and you can spend all day there, or just a hour or so to see the exhibits.  Now that I've been there, I'll be waiting at the Volta across the street while our visitors check out the art.

El Zanjon

El Zanjon is a historic home that found new life when local historian Jorge Eckstein bought the property and began renovations in 1985. The original plan for Eckstein was to renovate the building and turn the space into a part restaurant, part art gallery for his artist wife. As they began renovations on the crumbling building, they realized that there were more layers, literally, than originally thought to the building. Above ground, the house is a beautiful 1830s, Spanish-style mansion complete with an open air-cistern and a lookout tower. After the wealthy family abandoned this house, most probably in the 1870s due to the yellow fever outbreak in San Telmo, the space became a communal home for immigrants and squatters for over 100 years. When Eckstein began the renovations, the home was filled with over 100 years of trash and debris. 139 truckloads of debris later, it was realized that the mansion was actually build upon another full living space that dated back to the 16th century and had been built on top of the original river's path through San Telmo. Since this time, the river has been rerouted (the smell and the rodents were not a great part of this area...moving the river helped) but the tunnels build to contain the river for hygiene reasons remain. This museum is a beautiful restoration of the original house and displays many artifacts found during the renovation, items that represent daily life in many different time periods.

El Zanjon
Location: Defensa 755, San Telmo
Phone: (54-11) 4361-3002
Hours: It is best call first for availability prior to visit. Spanish tours every hour Mon - Fri 11:00am - 4:00pm; every 30 minutes Sun 1:00pm - 6:00pm. English tours available, again, call first. Visitation to museum only available through a tour, open admission not available.
Admission: $30 pesos for hour tour, $15 pesos for 30 minute tour

This museum also offers a venue for private parties and events. Contact eventos@elzanjon.com.ar for information.

Museo Fortabat

Lornie and I staying out of the rain

More correctly named Coleccion de Arte Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat, this museum is a lesser known spot that just recently opened in October 2008 and is such a hidden find (or just too new) that it only shows up in 1 of my 4 tour books. Kudos to the thorough writers at Eyewitness Travel.

Coleccion de Arte Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat

Location: Olga Cossenttini 141, Puerto Madero

Phone: (54-11) 4310-6600
Hours: 12:00pm - 9:00pm Tues - Sun, Closed Mon
Admission: $15 pesos for adults, $8 pesos for kids under 12, seniors, students and educators

We stumbled upon this museum during one of the many days of rain we had during Jon's parent's visit. The approx. 65,000 square foot building is impressive enough to warrant the entry fee, it is incredibly modern and almost exclusively steel and glass. A unique design detail is the retractable aluminium roof made of individual shields that change with the location of the sun, similar to a robotic sunflower. The building has four floors of art exhibits divided into themed rooms, each room larger than the last. There are also these crazy state-of-the-art escalators throughout the museum that accelerate when you step onto them, quite fancy.

According to the ever-trusted Wikipedia, Ms. Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat is worth over US$2 billion and therefore, Argentina's wealthiest woman. I have no doubts that this is true, considering that this entire museum is merely a sampling of her private art collection. She has an unbelievable art collection including a portrait of herself done by Andy Warhol, one of my favorites - the painting pictured to the right "Bouquet de Printemps" by Marc Chagall and an assortment of Argentine artists and international artists alike. The second floor is dedicated to objects in her collection, carvings and sculptures, some of which date back to over 2,000 BC. This museum will appeal to almost everyone considering that the collection is so diverse, many styles and eras are represented, and for the individuals that don't particularly like museums or art, the building is enough to keep you interested.

There are guided tours everyday (except Sunday and Monday when they're closed) at 3:00 and 5:00pm. English tours can be arranged in advance for groups by calling the museum or emailing visitas@coleccionforabat.org.ar. They also have fancy-shmancy iPhone audio tour that allows you to explore the museum at your own pace and touch the thumbnail icon of selected pieces when you are ready for the explanation. I cannot remember if there is an additional cost for the tour - and the website does not list a price - so this may be included in the admission price. There is also a restaurant adjacent to the museum, La Coleccion, that offers decent food at reasonable prices (for that area of town) and a great view of the port.

Museo Nacional De Bellas Artes

One of the museum's many exhibitions

The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes is difficult to miss considering that it is located on one of the busiest streets in Buenos Aires and is almost directly adjacent to the Flor de Metal, one of the most recognized sights in the city.  That, and the building is red.  

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes

Location: Av. Del Libertador 1473, Recoleta 

Phone: (54-11) 4803-8814/4803-0802/4803-4691
Hours: 12:30pm - 8:30pm Tues - Fri, 9:30am - 8:30pm Sat, Sun & Holidays, Closed Mon
Admission: Free! 

This museum opened its doors on Christmas day, 1895 in the building that is currently the Galerias Pacifico mall on Florida Street.  The collection lived through a couple of location changes until it settled into its current location, previously a major waterworks building, in 1932.  The museum is quite large with something like 35 exhibition rooms that are organized by era, artist origin and style.  According to Eyewitness Travel, there are over 12,000 pieces in the museum's collection, although only 700 can be displayed at one time.  The museum has two floors, although the second floor has been under construction each time I have been there (as of April 2010).  

Two Dancers in Red and Yellow, 1898
Edgar Degas

There is an impressive collection of Argentine artwork from artists like Antonio Segui, Leon Ferrari, Xul Solar and Fernando Fader.  The highlight of my visits were the number of big name European artists they had displayed - Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Renoir, Degas, Picasso, etc, etc.  Not only is the collection of big name artists larger than I would have thought, but the pieces are completely accessible to visitors.  No velvet rope, no Plexiglas shields, just a little tape line on the floor requesting that you stand at least 4 inches away from the artwork.  There is even a pleasant female voice that kindly requests that you "Stand behind the yellow tape" should you forget and get too close. 

The Museo de Bellas Artes offers $35 peso audio tours in English and Spanish, the complete tour is 80 minutes long.  I love that it is so easy to walk in and out of this museum, with free admission it is a great place to go to pass time. 

Xul Solar Museum

As I was reflecting on my previous blog posts, I noticed that there is a severe discrepancy between the number of posts I've done involving restaurants (23) and the number of posts I've done involving museums (1). I have some catching up to do; consider this Museum Week!

The most recent museum I have been to is...
Xul Solar Museum
Location: Laprida 1212, Barrio Norte
Phone: (54-11) 4821-5378
Hours: 12:00pm - 7:30pm Tues - Fri, 12:00pm - 7:00pm Sat, Closed Sun & Mon
Admission: $10 pesos

Xul Solar (1887 - 1963) was born Oscar Agustín Alejandro Schulz Solari changing his name to Xul Solar somewhere around 1916. This name is believed to be an ode to his artistic themes of light (Xul backwards is the latin word for light, lux) and energy (lux + solar = solar energy) and is thought to be Argentina's greatest abstract Expressionist. The museum was established in 1993 and the museum building was renovated and modernly designed to reflect Xul's work. The work displayed in the museum was selected by Xul to display to the private club of intellectuals he established in 1939. Xul was most known for his avant-guard style watercolor paintings, the colorful shapes and images depicting religious and astrological symbols. However, Xul Solar was a studied man in many disciplines; music, architecture, language, astrology and religion. In addition to his intriguing paintings Xul is known to have invented two different spoken languages, invented new musical instruments and created new games including tarot cards.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:00pm and Saturdays at 3:30pm there is a standing tour 50 minute tour that is included in the admission price. The tour is in Spanish, which is a great way to practice for those learning the language, and the tour guides also speak English, so you can catch up on anything missed in between points on the tour. This museum is one of the lesser known spots in Buenos Aires, but certainly worth the trip if you are spending an extended period of time in the city.

Don't Cry for Me - Museo Evita

I can't believe that it's been close to 14 years ago since I went with my friend Denise's family to see Evita in the theater. Her mom was the driving force behind us going and I had just moved to Illinois so any time I was invited anywhere I said yes. It was one of two times in my life that can remember where I: 1) Had no idea that the movie was based on a true story, and 2) Had to quickly cover up my ignorance while discussing the movie afterward. (The other time was when I saw A Beautiful Mind. I was so sure that Russell Crowe was a secret government decoder...) I loved the music from the show and until today that movie has been the complete source of my knowledge of Eva Peron/Evita. The most repeated part of the museum tour was that the musical has very little factual information about Evita, so I had lots to learn.

Jon and I are not really museum people, so guided tours are really the best thing for both of us. Unfortunately for him, the tours are usually during the day so he doesn't get to join in on the fun. Today I went with BAIN (the expat group I joined) to an English guided tour of Museo Evita (The Evita Museum), Lafinur 2988, Palermo, that was really great. The museum "contribution fee" is $14 pesos or $22 pesos with a guided tour. They charged us $25 pesos today, maybe because it was in English, maybe because it was with a large private group - either way to me it was worth the US$6.50. Located in a beautiful area of the city, the museum itself has a colorful history. It is an old Carabassa family mansion that the Eva Peron Foundation bought and restored in 1948 and then opened it as a shelter for women and children. After Juan Peron was overthrown in 1955, the shelter was seized by the government (as was everything created or owned by the Perons) and sat abandoned for close to 50 years. To mark the 50th anniversary of Evita's death on July 26, 2002, her grandniece reopened the house as a museum showcasing Eva's legacy, influence and (of course) her clothing.

There are strong feelings in Argentina regarding Juan and Eva Peron, strong love and strong hate. To avoid the controversy, I will not focus on their politics or methods, but rather on something that is not a source of controversy, her sense of fashion. This woman had to be the most well dressed person to ever live. The dresses they had on display were uniquely designed for her and came complete with shoes, hats, scarves, purses, etc. that were all stunning. My favorite examples:


The museum also has a nice Restaurant & Bar in the lower level that is a great post-museum stop. We stopped for lunch at 1pm and the place was 100% full by 1:30. The menu is small, but they had some nice options; chicken ceasar salad, grilled fish, chicken or beef with vegetables or homemade pasta to name a few. If you used their set price option you get a beverage (beer, wine, soda or water), entre and dessert or coffee for $33 to $36 pesos (US$8.50 - $9.50). A pretty good deal. The restaurant has an air conditioned indoor seating area and a large, pleasant patio. Their hours are 9am - 12am everyday and advertise breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner and wine tastings. I would recommend a reservation if you are planning a trip, 4800 1599 or resto@museoevita.org.