Museum of Spanish Art Enrique Larreta

On Juramento Street, one block from Cabildo Avenue and at the shopping and bustling heart of Belgrano neighborhood, there lies this museum, once the house of modern writer Enrique Larreta. Visiting this venue is like touring around a European museum: it is entirely dedicated to Spain. A Man and His House The house which currently serves as the museum was built by architect Ernesto Bunge in 1886 with a Mediterranean design and surrounded by a large park. In 1894, it was purchased by Mercedes Castellanos de Anchorena and afterwards inherited by her daughter Josefina, Enrique Larreta's wife. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Larreta came back to settle down in Buenos Aires and brought a vast collection of Spanish art and furniture from France, where he served as a diplomat, for decoration purposes.

A Man and His Art A remarkable intellectual figure of his times, Larreta, was mainly recognized by his historical novel La gloria de Don Ramiro (“The Glory of don Ramiro”). This wide collection today on view comes from the same period in which the novelist had started his long research to write this novel. Spain and its Art Within the walls of this museum, which are in perfect preservation conditions as well as its wood and ceramic floors, we found a huge collection of paintings and polychrome sculptures made of wood. Larreta was mainly interested in the Renaissance and Baroque periods and, therefore, nearly all the works on display are related to religious art, like the altarpiece in honor of Saint Anne. We also found out works of art associated with the nobility and war, like authentic armors and a variety of weapons. The Green Color of its Paths However, one of the most interesting attractions is not the museum itself, but its garden. Whether by the side gate or throughout the museum, visitors may enter and enjoy the unique experience of visiting the Andalusian garden. Crossing paths that guide us, well groomed bushes, exotic plants species, a variety of sculptures, a fountain and Moorish ceramic tiles. The garden offers a plenty of benches where visitors may sit down and simply spend a good time. The garden is worth a visit. In a city which becomes much duller and noisier day after day, this place seems to be a miracle, a magnificent vestige of the past where people sat on a bench comfortably and watched the world go by under the shade of the trees. Within this scenery, architectural details come up.