The Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires (MALBA) plans to double the area dedicated to exhibitions through an expansion that will be built mostly underground beneath Plaza Perú, located in front of the current building in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires.
This project was announced in September during the celebration of the institution's 25th anniversary and is credited to Mexican architect Frida Escobedo. The expected inauguration date for this new structure is late 2029 or early 2030.
The need for expansion arises due to the increase in the collection and the diversification of activities offered by the museum, which currently exhibits modern and contemporary Latin American art, in addition to promoting cinema, literature, and education events.
The plan includes the creation of new rooms for temporary shows, an auditorium, multifunctional spaces, workshops, storage areas, and offices. Additionally, the project incorporates a sculpture garden and an outdoor patio, serving as a link between the existing building, the new wing, and the public square.
Frida Escobedo emphasizes that the intention is to integrate the new spaces with the existing museum, avoiding the creation of an isolated structure. According to her, this intervention aims to establish new connections between the institution's various activities and strengthen its link with the city.
A considerable part of the construction will be in the basement, ensuring that the square remains an open space accessible to the public. The design also allows the auditorium and multifunctional spaces to operate autonomously from the exhibition rooms, enabling simultaneous cinema screenings, debates, and educational activities, even outside normal operating hours.
The importance of this expansion is reinforced by the recent increase in the museum's collection. In September, Eduardo Costantini, founder and president of MALBA, announced the donation of the Daros Latinamerica Collection, composed of 1,232 works by 117 artists, in addition to the inclusion of 17 pieces of Latin American modern art from his private collection.
Among the artists represented in this new set are Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, and Wifredo Lam. With these additions, the museum's total collection approaches the mark of 3,000 works.
However, the demand to enlarge the building is not new. The first attempts to make the expansion viable date back to 2011, when MALBA completed ten years of existence. At that time, the goal was to add approximately 3,840 square meters to the existing 7,455 square meters.
More than a decade later, the current project was selected in a private competition, in which several architectural firms were invited by the institution itself. Founded in 2001, MALBA has established itself as one of the leading entities dedicated to Latin American art in the region, and the expansion seeks to accompany this growth and redefine the museum's interaction with Plaza Perú and its surroundings.