Buenos Aires - Museo Quinquela Martin

Next time you visit the port area of La Boca and Caminito in Buenos Aires, make a quick detour just a half block away from the pedestrian mall and right along the water. There you will find the entrance to the home and painting studio of Argentina's premier painter Benito Quinquela Martin now the Museum Quinquela Martin.

"Quinquela", as he is normally referred to in Argentina, is one of the most famous painters of this country. He was born around the 1890's in the port area of la Boca and during his life, he acquired world fame with his large format paintings created with dramatic, thick brush strokes and luminescent back lighting. His favorite subjects? the local dock workers and the port.

Mr. Quinquela lived his whole life in the barrio of La Boca and his last home and studio, is now the lovely, small museum named after him, The Benito Quinquela Martin Museum.

The museum is a little tricky to find. It sits right next to a local school and it's entrance can easily be mistaken for the entrance of the school. Look for the number on the blue door ( see the enclosed photo of the entrance door). If you have any trouble, just ask anyone around. The locals will direct you to the right place.

Once inside the museum, you'll find that it has 3 floors, plus a rooftop and a series of open air exhibit areas in the rear of the house. These back open decks are nice areas to leisurely explore during a sunny day. On the main floor and the second floor, the museum hosts various art exhibits. But it's on the top floor where you will find the private world of Benito Quinquela Martin. There is his bedroom, laid out much like the bedroom that VincentVan Gogh painted in the 1800's. There is a studio with an easel and some paints, as if the painter had just stepped away for a few minutes from his work. There are also a series of stunning, large format Quinquela paintings that will take your breath away.

If you wish to visit this museum, take a taxi there and back and check the enclosed web-link for additional information on their hours of operation and their exact address. Museum of Decorative Arts of Quinquela Martin, Buenos Aires

Enjoy! and let us know if you like it when you go.

Museo Quinquela Martin
La Boca