A Guide to Art in Mendoza Mendoza doesn’t have the beautiful art galleries of Buenos Aires, it doesn’t have the serpentine libraries that inspired Borges to write and it doesn’t have the same clique of brooding creatives that gather in the capital’s dark and devilishly seductive coffee shops. Buenos Aires is definitely the ‘arty-est’ city in Argentina. But don’t write Mendoza off just yet, because what it does have when it comes to the world of art, is a hot art community bubbling under the surface and waiting to be tapped by art enthusiasts and curious visitors alike. Amanda Barnes gets out her pick axe to break into Mendoza’s art scene… On your tourist map (or the one at the back of this nifty copy of Wine Republic) you will see two galleries marked in Mendoza: the MAMM and the ECA. Is that it? Two art galleries for Argentina’s third largest city? The answer is no, but finding other places to appreciate paint and canvas is not an easy feat here. Both the MAMM (Plaza Independencia) and ECA (9 de Julio and Gutierrez) are nice modern art galleries - their exhibitions rotate regularly, they have quiet and clean spaces and host lots of different artists from around Argentina and South America. However your artistic route of the city will be over in less than an hour if you just go to these two. One way to extend your route around town is with the five star hotels - the Park Hyatt and Diplomatic both have pleasing changing exhibitions, but the hotel art prize undoubtedly goes to the Sheraton with its vast collection of art on the ground floor and on its top floor (with a great view over the city to boot). Further out of the city in Lujan is a real treasure - Casa Fader. This old mansion was home to a wealthy Argentine family who hired the services of French painter Fernando Fader to paint some mural in the hallway and swimming pool room in 1906. Fader soon fell in love with the daughter of the family, Adela, and they married and lived there together. Fader became well known in Argentina as a Post-Impressionist painter but died at the
young age of 33 and now the house, which the family donated to the local government as a museum in 1951, has the largest collection of Fader’s works as well as a changing exhibition of different artists and a beautiful sculpture garden. Museo de Bellas Artes, San Martín 3651, Mayor Drummond, Luján de Cuyo (261) 496 022. Tue - Fri 8.30am- 6pm. Sat & Sun 2pm - 7pm. Back in the city though there are other ways to see great art, although not in your conventional gallery. One of the best ways to really get to know the local art scene is by visiting some artist’s workshops. Make sure you call and book ahead but there are a handful of artists in or around the city centre that happily welcome you in to their lairs. If you want to get a feel for ‘latin american’ style art, Lucia Coria is your woman. Tucked away in a bright red house in the quinta neighbourhood is her workshop and home. The workshop is a colourful space covered top to toe in her vibrant paintings and large dresses. Deeply feminine, her work has a very latin feel to it (think Frida Kahlo) and features many brooding self-portraits. One series is called ‘women drinking’ and portrays different self-portraits of those introspective moments that we all know too well, when drinking a glass of wine alone. To visit Lucia, call her on (261) 438 0707 or 15 510 4745. www.luciacoria.blogspot.com
A couple blocks up the road is another ‘taller’ that should be visited by those who have a love of eccentric artist characters - that of Martin Villalonga. Technically a very good artist, Martin teaches in Mendoza as well as working through a myriad of different styles in his own time. He has tried just about every type of art and most of it sits on canvases stacked around his house but you can also take back a more portable piece of art in the form of his entertaining wine sketches which are on sale at different wine shops around the city. To visit Martin call him on (261) 15 653 8993. The quinta section is a hub of local artists and among the streets you will find dozens of different artists workshops including Fernando Jereb’s (see page 22) beautiful studio - an essential stop on the ‘taller’ route. If you want to see lots of different artists in one space, Santangelo Galeria de Arte has a good rotating collection of some of Mendoza’s cornerstone artists. This tiny space is packed with photos, sculptures, and paintings of all different genres and the gallery’s director Eduardo Jacky can guide you through the pieces (including lots of wine themed ones) in English. Santangelo, Olascoaga 631, Tues - Fri, 10-12:30 and 5:30- 9pm, Sat 10 -12:30. (261) 425 5205.
MARTIN VILLALONGA
LUCIA CORIA
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FERNANDO JEREB