Isaac Fernández Blanco Spanish American Art Museum

Although concrete seems to be more and more willing to devour everything, once in a while, Buenos Aires offers a space in which a hint of what the city used to be percolates through its walls. In the neighborhood of Retiro, the house formerly owned by Martín Noel today shelters the Isaac Fernández Blanco Spanish American Art Museum. Just like in Those Days We were surprised to see the signs explaining the history of Martín Noel, the Argentinian architect who raised the building housing the museum today. A hundred years ago, the problem of foreign influence on the culture of our country used to be quite remarkable –just like today- and this generated an urge to reassess our roots. This building was the result of this movement. Argentina started as a colony and ever since, the country’s cultural identity has been very controversial. As from the 1880s, the city began to be invaded by a strong taste for French elements (which we may appreciate still today in the constructions of the time). The “first nationalist movement” reacted to this in the 1910s, fostered by figures from the literary and cultural world. One of its most significant academic fosterers was Martín Noel. In 1922 and in tune with these ideas, he inaugurated his house in order to reassess the Spanish American roots in Argentina.

House and Garden Speak The Neo-colonial style of the venue may be appreciated even before having crossed the first gate. The Spanish influences, as well as the Peruvian ones -according to what we learned-, invaded us. Inside, the spacious garden (almost illogical if we consider that we were a few blocks away from Retiro Railway Station) with clear Moorish traits seemed a present from the past the museum has successfully preserved. But, all in all, we had not even entered the museum itself. Much more was waiting inside. Art and Life The Spanish American art that nationalist movement resolved to restore as the source of Argentinian identity always had a strong religious character. A great deal of the museum collection is made up by pious images (altarpiece images, sculptures, medals and images of the Virgin) and liturgical objects. Another characteristic of the displayed collection and art is that the objects generally have a practical function. The paintings are supposed to be placed on altars and there is furniture, doors, lamps, silverware and armchairs. Life in Those Days Everything in the museum has been perfectly preserved and the space is so well laid out that no sooner do visitors cross the threshold than they will not feel this is a strange place showing a collection. They will feel they are in another time. One of the most particular experiences offered by the Isaac Fernández Blanco Museum are the various spaces in the venue were furniture and several daily objects from former times are displayed. We could only access a small part of this environment and we were surrounded by glass on three sides. But it was then when we feel practically as if we had entered an Eighteenth-century bedroom. The vast collection displayed at Noel Palace is a great adventure of detail. Even if this is a tradition which, according to nationalists, lies in the roots of Argentina, it may turn out to be alien to many people. This is an excellent opportunity to (re)discover it.