Kurteff Museum, Art and Metal

Kurteff Museum houses works of high artistic quality, good knowledge in the handling of metals and a very particular feeling worth appreciating in detail.

We found the house where Rincón del Este operates quite easily and admired the harmony of its lines along with a garden that shows some of the works by Jorge Kurteff, as an aperitif before the main course.

As we crossed the access gate, a luminous art gallery opened up for us with a series of modern glass cabinets where the pieces were on display. Once we understood that the First Metal and Plastic Museum in Argentina shows works of metal in all its forms, we were ready for the itinerary to start. Very slowly we saw and deciphered each presentation which the artist took whoever-knows-how-long to finish.

It was more than clear that Kurteff devoted his life to this passion to chisel metal according to his feelings, his lifestyle and his vision of the macro and micro cosmos. 'The art of metal consecrated to the inner life of beings', in his own words.

Jorge Kurteff was born in Bulgaria, in a humble family who loved art, nature and had deep ideals. Fleeing from the war in 1948, he came to Argentina and lived in Buenos Aires, San Carlos de Bariloche and Villa de Merlo, where he spent the last days of his life.

About 200 works are on display, including large plates made of bronze, nickel silver, silver, iron, copper and enameled copper. The circle appears in all of them and in their center, various images stand out in relief, managed with different hues.

Whenever we stopped in front of one work, we would first see the material it was made of, the polish managed, the small details and its depth. Afterwards, it was hard to become abstracted from the sense with which it was carried out.

His creations rest on repeated elements like the sun, the Earth, the stars and hands. He endowed value to each one of these representations. However, the most shocking fact is how he managed to portray inner life, external forces, religious paths and, in particular, the relation men have with their god.

Some works form a sequence and others add up a technique that offers movement through an electric mechanism. They work just by pushing a button and this certainly increased our sense of wonder.

In a side room, very delicate goldsmith and silversmith elements show off. Many of them were made by Kurteff especially for his wife Aída. Everything has been donated to the museum and shows the versatility of the artist.

We had the chance to see pictures of his workshop and observe his methodology and his knowledge of techniques to melt metals. Nothing was improvised in his life. 'He was very persevering: when he had an idea, he would not quit. He would work and carry out his thoughts', said someone who knew him and talked to us about his work.

From the art of melting metal with an artistic vision we got the message of gratitude towards the sun and the other elements, through which Kurteff knew how to transcend.