I’ll be visiting Buenos Aires for 10 days at the end of the month.
Any suggestions for jewelry/metalworking museums, galleries, etc to
visit?
Herb Wohl
Herb,
have you ever been to BA before? It is a very economically depressed
city (ie: broken sidewalks and dog poop on the sidewalks). It is
beautiful, the best way to get around is either to walk, take the
train, bus, or taxi. My daughter lived there for 6 months and found
the cheapest and fastest way to get around was by taxi. Beware of the
drivers, they are fast and know no means of lanes or traffic lights.
Sorry, I don’t know of any museums or galleries. But if you get a
chance take a side trip go to either Iguazu Falls (Uraguay) or
Patagonia both worth your time.
Jennifer
Ventura, CA
Herb
I was in Buenos Aires last August and looked tirelessly for
metalsmiths/artists and found very few. I stayed in Palermo Soho,
sort of the “West Village” of the city and was disappointed that
there wasn’t a large artists presence there. I found one nice guy
who has a tiny studio and supposedly teaches “joya” jewelry classes:
Isaac Katz
Pasaje Russell 5027
I also attempted to find the tool distributors and gem suppliers in
the heart of the city (downtown) and when I finally did, the prices
were really exhorbitant, even with the exchange rate in favor of the
dollar. You’d be better off buying tools in the U.S.
On Avenida Libertad, I found many Armenian and Spanish jewelers
(kind of diamond row) who were very nice but little of the work was
"artisanal"—all commercial.
As for galleries, Buenos Aires, as lovely as the food and people
are, seems to lack a rich art history. In my opinion, if you want to
visit amazing studios and galleries with a high regard for
metalsmithing and jewelry, then Barcelona, Spain is your city!!!
Also, in Argentina the Rhodocrosita (rhodocrosite) available is not
good gem quality but still worthy of getting a piece for souvenir
purposes.
And lastly, if gastronomy is your thing, then you must eat at two
places:
Cabana Las Lilas
Alicia Moreau de Justo 516
Casa Cruz
Uriarte 1658
Buen viaje and buena suerte!
Sherri Strandberg
Aeterna Metals