Latin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, Argentina. www.malba.org.ar
The Latin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires is a museum located on Figueroa Alcorta Avenue, in the Palermo section of Buenos Aires.
Created by Argentine businessman Eduardo Costantini, the museum is operated by the not-for-profit Fundación MALBA – Costantini, and was inaugurated on September 21, 2001. The institution was organized around the Costantini Collection, and has continued to expand its selection of works from modern artists from across Latin America. It also maintains a dynamic cultural center, which serves to constantly updates art and film exhibitions and develops cultural activities. The museum welcomes over a million visitors annually, and is also sustained by over 1,400 active patrons.
The Museum design was made through an open call contest within the “Bienal Internacional de Buenos Aires”. 450 proposals from 45 countries were presented. The selection was left to an international jury of architects and the first prize was awarded to three young Argentinian architects: Gaston Atelman, Martin Fourcade and Alfredo Tapia.
The mission of the MALBA is to collect, preserve, research and promote Latin American art from the onset of the 20th century to the present. This also involves educating the public to foster their knowledge in Latin American artists, in the diversity of cultural and artistic holdings in this region, sharing such responsibility both with the national and the international community. The building project was executed by AFT Architects, a renowned Argentine architectural firm.
