{"id":3700,"date":"2018-07-21T21:58:04","date_gmt":"2018-07-22T00:58:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adcom2018.icomos.org.ar\/?page_id=3700"},"modified":"2018-07-21T23:18:54","modified_gmt":"2018-07-22T02:18:54","slug":"musee-national-des-arts-decoratifs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/adcom2018.icomos.org.ar\/en\/musee-national-des-arts-decoratifs\/","title":{"rendered":"National Museum of Decorative Arts"},"content":{"rendered":"

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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: Mat\u00edas Erraz\u00fariz, the son of Chilean \u00e9migr\u00e9s, and Josefina de Alvear, the granddaughter of Independence-era leader\u00a0Carlos Mar\u00eda de Alvear.<\/p>\n

The couple commissioned French architect\u00a0Ren\u00e9 Sergent\u00a0in 1911 to design a mansion for Erraz\u00fariz’s future retirement from the diplomatic corps, in which he had been Ambassador to France for a number of years. The ornate\u00a0Neoclassical\u00a0structure inspired the Bosch family to commission a similar palace nearby (today the\u00a0United 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\u00a0objets d’art<\/em>.<\/p>\n

When Mrs. Erraz\u00fariz 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.<\/p>\n

Residence<\/strong><\/p>\n

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 Ren\u00e9 Sergent in 1911 but it was finished in 1917 due to the difficulties caused by the\u00a0First World War. Sergent\u2019s 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 Duch\u00eane. 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 fa\u00e7ade 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 fa\u00e7ade: on the basement, the windows of the cellars. Gigantic Corinthian columns in the fa\u00e7ade 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.<\/p>\n

Collection<\/strong><\/p>\n

The museum maintains twelve exhibit halls and nine permanent collections containing over 4,000 objects including:<\/p>\n