To recognize the National Museum of Decorative Art, look for an imposing French Neoclassical palace, all in light stone, with large windows, an ornate facade, and perched behind elegant trees directly in front of you on the avenue.
Imagine yourself in front of this splendid building, with its majestic columns and statues that seem almost to watch over you. The museum was once the palace of Matías Errázuriz Ortúzar, a Chilean ambassador, and his wife Josefina de Alvear, two art lovers who traveled through early 20th-century Europe to the sound of rustling dresses and carriage wheels on cobblestones. Between 1911 and 1917, they had this marvel built by architect René Sergent, importing the best of French style.
But wait... there's a plot twist worthy of a novel! In 1937, the Argentine State acquired the palace and the couple's fabulous collection: sumptuous furniture, precious tableware, secret miniatures, porcelains from Sèvres to Limoges... and, of course, paintings by Manet, El Greco, and even Cranach! Here, every mirror has undoubtedly heard some worldly secrets, every corridor still carries the discreet scent of lavish evenings.
And that's not all! Today, the museum also exhibits a permanent collection of sculptures by Rodin or Bourdelle, brightly colored tapestries woven between the 15th and 18th centuries, and temporary exhibitions that create a dialogue between the past and contemporary creativity.
So, ready to discover life from another century? Come in, and let yourself be carried away by the elegance... but be careful where you step: it's said that some furniture has a bad habit of moving on its own during the night!
