Early morning view from our window Recoleta.
After a filling breakfast at the hotel we walked through the streets and across the park to the Museo National de Bellas Artes. Nothing opens early in Buenos Aires – the gallery no exception opened at 12.30 and probably stayed open until around 8 or 9 in the evening – just when the city comes out to play.
What an impressive collection they have – all manner of classical paintings, modern, French Impressionist, contemporary and the number of Rodin sculptures alone is impressive. It’s been a while since I’ve been amongst so many of the worlds greatest pieces of art and so many classical artists I’ve not heard. There were the usual such as Morandi, Tintoretto, Rubens, Monet, Courbet, Chagall, de Chirico, Rothko, Corot, Picasso, Magritte, oh it just goes on and on. And thick amongst the hundreds of fine works are the marvellous sculptures.
Photography is allowed – as long as there is no flash. In so many ways Buenos Aires is a generous; the gallery has not yet forced people to buy the catalogues to record the work; though we did purchase a small one.
There is a contemporary gallery space with an exhibition of work by an artist using the micro images of painting, blown up into large macro works.
As I write there is another siren frenetically heading to somewhere. There has been a myriad sirens since our arrival and with the visitation of President Obama in town I expect the police exposure has risen considerably. There is not the threat with the police you can experience in other world cities – they are just there on motor bikes doing their job.
This stunning pink tree is a native to Argentina – we have at least one in the Botanical gardens in Melbourne.
