What Makes Us Human?

History of our museum and exhibition

Founded in the heart of Buenos Aires in 1896, the International Art Museum has, from its inception, housed a rich diversity of works spanning different periods and artistic movements globally. It emerged with the mission not only to safeguard the richness of international art but also to foster the flourishing of Argentine art within a context of cultural renewal.

In its first decade, during the commemoration of the Centennial of the May Revolution, the museum already exhibited masterpieces by renowned artists such as Francisco de Goya, Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, Edgar Degas, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

A new era dawned in 1911 with the opening of the Argentine Pavilion, a monumental structure from the 1889 Paris Universal Exhibition, situated in Plaza San Martín. This marked the incorporation of notable new acquisitions, such as Édouard Manet’s ‘The surprised nymph’ and Claude Monet’s ‘Banks of the Seine.’

In 1933, the museum found its current home in the remodeled Recoleta Pump House, a work of art in itself designed by architect Alejandro Bustillo. This relocation saw the addition of valuable pieces, including ‘Woman by the sea’ by Paul Gauguin, ‘Le Moulin de la Galette’ by Vincent van Gogh, and ‘Christ in the Garden of Olives’ by El Greco.