Buenos Aires Museums: Chapter 03: National Museum of Decorative Art [ENG | ESP]

When I started this [Buenos Aires Museums](https://hive.blog/hive-163772/@cristiancaicedo/buenos-aires-museums-a-new-series-eng-or-esp) series two weeks ago with the [MALBA](https://hive.blog/hive-163772/@cristiancaicedo/buenos-aires-museums-chapter-01-malba-museo-de-arte-latinoamericano-eng-or-esp) I was about to choose another option for that first post. In retrospect I think the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires was the right choice, but this other museum that I'm going to show you today was perhaps my favorite of all those I visited in the Argentine capital. >Cuando comencé esta serie de [Museos de Buenos Aires](https://hive.blog/hive-163772/@cristiancaicedo/buenos-aires-museums-a-new-series-eng-or-esp) hace dos semanas con el [MALBA](https://hive.blog/hive-163772/@cristiancaicedo/buenos-aires-museums-chapter-01-malba-museo-de-arte-latinoamericano-eng-or-esp) estuve a punto de elegir otra opción para ese primer post. En retrospectiva creo que al Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires fue la decisión correcta, pero este otro museo que les voy a mostrar hoy fue, quizás, mi museo favorito de todos los que visité en la capital argentina. The entire Palermo area, Parlemo Chico, and Recoleta, is brimming with parks, museums, gardens, and beautiful places. I think this stretch from Recoleta to Belgrano, passing through Palermo, is my favorite part of the Argentine capital; more so than the elitist Puerto Madero and the historic center of Buenos Aires; it's an area that's abundant with the kinds of places I like and enjoy the most. To get from Las Heras Park to the well-known Floralis Genérica, take Libertador Avenue and right at the corner of Pereyra Lucena Street, you'll find the Errázuriz Palace, a building over a century old that was once one of the city's most elegant private residences and has housed the National Museum of Decorative Art since 1937. The building itself is a beauty. It's worth seeing it from the opposite sidewalk to fully appreciate it before entering through the ornate iron gate that leads to the main entrance of the museum, where you'll find different artistic expressions: paintings, sculptures, carvings, engravings, drawings from different parts of the world: Europe, America, Asia... marble, parquet floors, 18th-century paintings, antique lamps, tapestries, books, ornate ceilings, mahogany furniture, ceramics, weapons, miniatures. The works on display blend with the walls of the building and form a majestic display that takes us back to the past, but also makes us appreciate the present. Even if the palace were empty, it would be an impressive visit. Needless to say, how it feels to be there surrounded by the more than six thousand pieces in the collection—six thousand!  |  |  --- | --- | ---  |  |  >Toda la zona de Palermo, Parlemo Chico y Recoleta, está a rebosar de parques, museos, jardines y lugares hermosos. Creo que ese eje que se encuentra desde Recoleta hasta Belgrano, pasando por Palermo, es mi sector favorito de la capital argentina; más que el elitista Puerto Madero y el histórico centro de Buenos Aires; es que es un sector en el que abundan el tipo de lugares que me gustan y que más disfruto. >Para ir desde el Parque Las Heras hacia la conocida Floralis Genérica uno puede tomar la Av. Libertador y justo en la esquina con Pereyra Lucena se va a encontrar con el Palacio Errázuriz, un edificio de más de un siglo de antigüedad que fuera alguna vez una de las residencias privadas más elegantes de la ciudad y que desde 1937 alberga el Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo. El edificio en sí mismo es una belleza. Vale la pena verlo desde la acera opuesta para poder abarcarlo a plenitud antes de ingresar por ese pórtico de hierro ornamentado que da acceso a la entrada principal del museo en el que encontrarán diferentes manifestaciones artísticas, pintura, escultura, tallas, grabados, dibujos, de diferentes partes del mundo, Europa, América, Asia... mármol, suelos de parqué, cuadros del siglo XVIII, lámparas antiguas, tapices, libros, techos ornamentados, muebles de caoba, cerámicas, armas, miniaturas, las obras expuestas se fusionan con las paredes del edificio y conforman una exhibición majestuosa que nos remonta al pasado, pero nos hace valorar también el presente. Aún si el palacio estuviera vacío sería una visita imponente. Ni qué decir de lo que se siente estar allí rodeado por las más de seis mil piezas de la colección, ¡seis mil!  |  |  --- | --- | ---  |  |   |  |  --- Of course, the six thousand pieces aren't on display all the time. Due to the _limited_ capacity of this enormous space, only a good portion of them are shown, but the remaining works, those kept in safekeeping, are rotated so that visitors can appreciate the different pieces at every opportunity, including original works by artists such as Rodin, El Greco, Cerezo, and Manet, 15th-century tapestries, original Chinese ceramics from the Ming period, and a host of other incredible works from all over the world. You don't have to travel far abroad to appreciate these geniuses: they live in Buenos Aires, within the walls of the National Museum of Decorative Art. >Claro que las seis mil piezas no están exhibidas todo el tiempo. Debido a la capacidad _limitada_ de este enorme espacio, sólo se muestra una buena parte de ellas, pero las demás obras, las que se tienen en resguardo, se van rotando para que en cada oportunidad los visitantes puedan apreciar las diferentes piezas que incluyen obras originales de artistas como Rodin, el Greco, Cerezo y Manet, tapices del siglo XV, cerámicas chinas originales del período Ming y otro montón de obras increíbles de todas partes del mundo. No hace falta salir al mundo para apreciar a estos genios: viven en Buenos Aires, dentro de las paredes del Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo. It takes at least three hours to leisurely explore the museum's two levels and all its rooms. The upper floor is built around the grounds, with an empty space in the center from which you can appreciate the main hall, from the parquet floor to the ornaments on the ceiling. And if, after soaking up the art, walking alongside the works of so many artists, and visiting the garden at the back, you get hungry, you can head to Croque Madame, a café located within the Palace grounds, from which you can see its façade, part of its garden, or Libertador Avenue, depending on which table you sit at. That afternoon, I ordered a tiramisu that was very, very good. And best of all, unlike most of the museums I visited in the Argentine capital, this one has free admission, which I found incredible given the quality and quantity of works in its collection. So, when you go to Buenos Aires, visit this beautiful place, open Wednesday through Sunday. Do any of you know it? I'll read your comments.  |  |  --- | --- | ---  |  |