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The museum has its origins in a marriage in 1897 between two prominent members of turn-of-the-century Argentine high society: MatĂas ErrazĂșriz, the son of Chilean Ă©migrĂ©s, and Josefina de Alvear, the granddaughter of Independence-era leader Carlos MarĂa de Alvear.
The couple commissioned French architect RenĂ© Sergent in 1911 to design a mansion for ErrazĂșriz’s future retirement from the diplomatic corps, in which he had been Ambassador to France for a number of years. The ornate Neoclassical structure inspired the Bosch family to commission a similar palace nearby (today the United States Ambassador’s residence). Completed in 1916, the couple devoted the following two years to decorating the palace, purchasing a large volume of antiques and other objets d’art.
When Mrs. ErrazĂșriz died in 1935, however, the widower bequeathed the mansion to the Argentine government, on his son’s and daughter’s advice. The National Museum of Decorative Arts was established in 1937.
Residence
Under Law 12351 the Argentine state bought the residence and the art collections which gave birth to the Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo on 18 December 1937. The project of the building, a sample of pure eclecticism, was designed by the French architect RenĂ© Sergent in 1911 but it was finished in 1917 due to the difficulties caused by the First World War. Sergentâs team was a group of selected decorators specialized in interior-decoration and gardens. H. Nelson, G. Hoentschel, M. Carlhian worked the rooms; the gardens were the responsibility of the French expert Achille DuchĂȘne. The materials were brought from Europe: wooden panels, mirrors, marble, woodworks, frames, latches; a number of European artisans were called for some of the stucco decorations. Its imposing and sober façade takes from the French Neo-classicism of the 18th century, especially from the works of Jacques A. Gabriel, architect in the Court of Louis XV. The building has four levels visible from the external façade: on the basement, the windows of the cellars. Gigantic Corinthian columns in the façade cover the two most important levels: the principal floor with round arches leading to the garden and terrace and the first floor where the family rooms were installed. On the top floor, in the attic were the rooms of the servants with the windows hidden by a balustrade.
Collection
The museum maintains twelve exhibit halls and nine permanent collections containing over 4,000 objects including:
- Paintings: notable among them El Greco’s Jesus Bearing the Cross Uphill, Jean-HonorĂ© Fragonard’s The Sacrifice of the Roseand Ădouard Manet’s Portrait of AbbĂ© Hurel
- Sculpture: among them an Ancient Roman Minerva, Cristoforo Mantegazza’s Adoration of the Magii (a wall relief in marble) and Auguste Rodin’s The Eternal Spring
- East Asian art: numerous Chinese vases and jade sculptures from the Qianlong era, among others; as well as tapestries, porcelains, 18th century furniture, the most important public miniature art collection in the Americas and other antiques, generally from before 1800.
The collection is also complemented by temporary exhibits, and the museum hosts regular choral concerts as well as classes and seminars. Visitors can also enjoy Café Croque Madame, whose tables are set in the gardens in good weather. Since 1944, the Argentine Academy of Letters has also been housed in this location.
