Museo de Bellas Artes de La Boca Quinquela Martín (Quinquela Martín Fine Arts Museum of La Boca)

Museo de Bellas Artes de La Boca Quinquela Martín (Quinquela Martín Fine Arts Museum of La Boca) Review

Vibrant port scenes were the trademark of artist and philanthropist Benito Quinquela Martín, the man who first put La Boca on the cultural map. His work and part of his studio are showcased on the third floor of this huge building, which he donated to the state for a cultural center in 1936. Don't be surprised to have to jostle your way in through kids filing into class: downstairs is an elementary school, something that the galleries' bland institutional architecture doesn't let you forget. Quinquela Martín set out to fill the second floor with Argentine art—on the condition that works were figurative and didn't belong to any "ism." Badly lighted rooms and lack of any visible organization make it hard to enjoy the minor paintings by Berni, Sívori, Soldi, and other local masters. Outside is a huge sculpture terrace with great views of the river and old port buildings on one side, with the Boca Juniors stadium and low-rise downtown skyline on the other.