Modern Art Museum (MAMBA), Buenos Aires

The Modern Art Museum (MAMBA) is a repository of contemporary art that seeks to preserve and promote the works of contemporary Argentine artists and to display international contemporary art through temporary themed exhibitions.

The Modern Art Museum was the brainchild of art critic, Rafael Squirru and diplomat and sculptor, Pablo Curatella Manes. It was first established in 1956. At the time, it did not have a display space of its own. Rafael Squirru displayed the collection consisting of works by 50 artists in a ship called the Yapeyu and toured 20 cities around the world. In 1960, the collection was moved to a permanent space in the Teatro San Martin. In 1986, it was relocated to its present premises, a former cigarette factory in the San Telmo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It underwent extensive renovation between 2005 and 2010 and opened its doors as a museum conforming to international standards in 2010.

The Modern Art Museum is divided into two sections. The ground floor has a gallery called, ‘Uncertain Narratives’ featuring works by contemporary and emerging local artists. The first floor has the Ignacio Pirovano’s Imagery collection that features works from one of the most important donations of contemporary art to the museum. Artists featured include Emilio Pettoruti, Ramon Gomez Cornet, Xu Solar, and Antonio Berni.

Why You Should Visit:
More of a mix between modern art and contemporary art than a strictly "modern art" museum.
The excellently curated & displayed works make it a reference point of the art circuit of the country and the region.