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Corridor Costa Atlántica > Province: Buenos Aires > Mar del Plata

Juan C.Castagnino Municipal Art Museum

Karina Jozami

Pablo Etchevers

The picturesque building of the museum Juan Carlos Castagnino guards more than 450 plastic works by artists from Mar del Plata and other provinces.

“Juan Carlos Castagnino” Local Art Museum

Around the middle of 1980, the old summer house belonging to the traditional family Ortíz Basualdo became the head office of the local art museum. The magnificent village, today cultural heritage of the city, is located on the Stella Maris hill and surrounds the building designed by architects Louis Dubois and Paul Paters.

It was built by the Basualdos in 1909 and remodelled in 1919, but keeping its classical style from the early 20th century. The building is reminiscent of the French Castles from Loira, which is reflected in each room, decorated by the Belgian designer Gustave Serruier-Bovy, who stamped his own art nouveau style on them.

The original Belgian furniture, the oak and wrought iron stairs with flowers and geometric lines, the lamps, the vitraux, the furniture details and the rest of the art nouveau pieces are considered by international experts as one of the best collections (in that style) in the world.

But beyond these precious relics, the museum provides a complete exhibition of 450 works made by artists from Mar del Plata and other provinces, including paintings, drawings, engravings, photographs and sculptures. Among these creations, there are 130 works by painter Juan Carlos Castagnino, after whom the museum is named.

Castagnino was born in Mar del Plata in 1908 and was considered a social painter, since his works clearly reveal injustice and unfair situations. A gifted draftsman and a strongly committed artist, he was outstanding not only because of his deep sensitivity but also because of his great technical quality, which is reflected in his wash drawings.

His work is shown temporarily on the second floor, where people can also appreciate photographs and personal objects that recall his life.

The exhibition is completed by works that cover a rich artistic production dating from 1920 to this date, except for two portraits from about 1830, made by the painter Pridiliano Pueyrredón.