José Hernández Museum of Popular Art

(The visit to the Museum took place on April 10, 2015)

In early April, my wife and I visited the José Hernández Museum of Popular Art. We were walking past it, saw it was open, and decided to go in.

We entered and were greeted by a very kind woman who welcomed us and informed us that admission was free precisely that day. I do not know the ticket price on days when admission is not free; I believe it currently costs $10. This lady then pointed out how to navigate the different rooms and indicated the available exhibitions.

So, we began our tour. Before going further, I must mention the museum's websites. Here is the first link http://museohernandez.buenosaires.gob.ar/ which contains useful and interesting information. It is well worth reading the section titled "¿Qué es el arte popular?" (What is popular art?). Another section to take advantage of is Publications, where you can see various articles and books published online in PDF format. On the webpage, there is a suggested tour option, which is also a PDF file viewable online at the following link: http://museohernandez.buenosaires.gob.ar/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/aqui.pdf There is also a tourism website that provides a general overview of the museum: http://www.welcomeargentina.com/ciudadbuenosaires/museo-jose-hernandez.html And, at least until 2012, it had a web address http://museohernandez.org.ar/ which is no longer active today.

In the entrance hall, you can find the mural shown in the photograph. It is titled "Homenaje al artista artesano" (Tribute to the Artisan Artist), created in 2007 by artist Alejandro Puente (1933–2013).

The museum is located in the Palermo neighborhood. It feels a bit unusual to see a "popular art" museum there, given that the area is not exactly what is vulgarly known as popular, but reading a bit helps one understand why it is located there. The building is a French and Italian style petit-hôtel from the early 20th century, a single-family home typical of that era, with two blocks separated by an inner garden. The original large house was remodeled into what can be seen today. The structure possesses the architectural characteristics of the period, much like many surrounding buildings. This house was donated by the Bunge family to serve as the museum. The way popular culture was perceived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries is not how it is viewed today, or at least, it has undergone some modifications. This is also reflected in the museum's own history, which is currently also known as the museum of artisans and crafts. To better understand the aforementioned, it is convenient to visit the following two links: http://museohernandez.buenosaires.gob.ar/?page_id=2109 and http://museohernandez.buenosaires.gob.ar/?page_id=2111, titled "Historia y memoria (1938-2008)" (History and Memory 1938–2008) and "El legado Félix Bunge y la administración de la Asociación Folklórica Argentina (1938 – 1944)" (The Félix Bunge Legacy and the Administration of the Argentine Folklore Association 1938–1944) respectively. Finally, we arrive at the name: José Hernández, the Argentine writer and author of the renowned work "Martín Fierro", whose biography is much richer, but of which a general overview can be obtained at this link: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Hern%C3%A1ndez

Right there in the hall, before starting to view the exhibitions, inside a glass case, were two works on the same theme, both titled Nacimiento. Below them was a small sign for the José Hernández Museum and a "Happy Holidays" greeting, which apparently remained from the holiday season. The upper one, titled Nacimiento (Belén), was made of wood by artist Dolores Cabrera Castilla, and the second one, titled Nacimiento, was made of ceramics by artist Ricardo Castro.

On the day of our visit, there were four temporary exhibitions to enjoy. It appeared that they were undergoing repairs or renovations, and out of all the rooms available to visit according to the suggested tour map, a couple of them were blocked off and unavailable.

The four exhibitions open for viewing on the day of our visit were:

• Visión Popular en el Arte Contemporáneo (Popular Vision in Contemporary Art), by Benito Laren, Maria Silvia Corcuera, and Fabiana Imola. (Opening: March 19).
• Nuestros Artesanos de la Madera: Grandes Maestros (Our Wood Artisans: Great Masters). (Opening: March 19; Closing: August 30).
• Ceramistas, Coleccionistas y Apasionadas por el Arte (Ceramists, Collectors, and Art Enthusiasts). Works by María Isabel, Mabel, and María Castellano Fotheringham. (Opening: March 19; Closing: May 10).
• 180 años del Nacimiento de José Hernández. Exposición homenaje (180th Anniversary of the Birth of José Hernández: Tribute Exhibition). An activity carried out with the Museum of Drawing and Illustration. (Opening: October 29, 2014; Closing: May 10, 2015).

We went down a small staircase to head toward the first exhibition. Along the short path, interspersed with paintings and other exhibited items, there was a small table with a red tablecloth, as seen in the photograph, holding a notebook and a pen for visitors to leave their comments about the visit. In another room, in a different sector of the museum, there was another one.

This table was surrounded by two large mortars made entirely of wood, also called pilón. Inside them was the tubular wooden pestle called maza, although the names vary depending on the region. Here, they are generally used (or used to be used) mostly for grinding corn.

At the entrance of the museum, a textile piece could be seen. The museum preserves a collection of textile pieces. For more information, you can visit this link: http://museohernandez.buenosaires.gob.ar/?p=6296

The first exhibition was titled Visión Popular en el Arte Contemporáneo (Popular Vision in Contemporary Art), by Benito Laren, Maria Silvia Corcuera, and Fabiana Imola.

Regarding this exhibition, its promotional press release states: "The museum invites you to explore an exhibition centered on popular culture, this time through the creative gaze of three contemporary artists." In Benito Laren's work, the appropriation of Argentine art history is the main theme, utilizing popular materials and colors associated with humor. Artist Maria Silvia Corcuera presents national and Latin American works, taking an object of popular transculturation such as the jingle bell (cascabel) alongside Argentine poetry. Fabiana Imola presents profiles of trees from the Paraná River, which are familiar to her as a native of Rosario.

Personally, I did not like this exhibition; I neither understood it nor do I comprehend it. For example, what is the relation between popular art and the tree profiles of the Paraná River? And the "profiles" were lines that, if not pointed out as Paraná River trees, could just as well be profiles of any other vegetation. Another example: a "flying saucer," at least represented as such—a characteristic UFO, born of imagination—hovering over four distinctive buildings. What does that have to do with popular art? The works including an object of "popular transculturation" like the jingle bell were equally incomprehensible to me. We are talking about art, yet a concept from anthropology (such as "transculturation") is adopted, and the explanatory text on the museum wall cited Bourdieu, a philosopher who wrote extensively on sociology. It literally stated: "it sharpens and pricks what he (Bourdieu) calls the great seriousness upon which bourgeois art rests." Incomprehensible—just looking at a cluster of jingle bells surrounded by circular poetry. In one of the works, a black circle had jingle bells hanging from it tied with yarn; upon closer inspection, you could easily distinguish the holes where the yarn had been pushed from the outside in and vice versa, just by looking at the torn paper points. The rest were works consisting of, in my view, merely geometric figures, some intersecting.

Thus concluded our visit to this contemporary art room; we exited and walked upstairs to another room.

We arrived at the second exhibition, titled Nuestros Artesanos de la Madera: Grandes Maestros (Our Wood Artisans: Great Masters).

This one was very different and strikingly interesting. At least, I liked it very much. Right at the entrance, seeing the announcement sign with a wood-carved and pyrographically etched jaguar brought back a memory: while in Misiones a few months prior, I saw at several fairs that some stalls sold these kinds of wood-carved animal crafts. In fact, I bought some, but I regretted not buying a jaguar similar to the one on display in a medium size that cost only 300 pesos, which I didn't bring back due to lack of space. The one on exhibition here also originated from Misiones. The work was displayed inside a glass or acrylic cubicle.

From the press release for this exhibition, it appears that the Undersecretariat of Heritage, through the General Directorate of Museums and the José Hernández Museum of Popular Art, announced the celebration of Artisan Day with the inauguration of this exhibition. The collective woodcraft exhibition consisted partly of the Museum's collection and was complemented by works from invited artisans. The invited artisans were: Cinthia Chomski, Matías Conci, Gabriel Garay, Lilian Hvalsoe, Oscar Lagarejos, Rubén Manetti, Abraham Mederdrut, Marcelo Sisci, Toluca, and Jorge Virasoro.

There was a variety of objects—some can be seen in the photographs—gaucho motifs such as stirrups and cutlery, mates, religious images, masks, models, and a variety of distinct objects of all kinds.

The following text, taken from the press release, was also written on a sign on one of the room's walls:

"More information about the exhibition: Our country's forestry wealth and variety stimulated creation. Hard, solid, and resistant woods such as ñandubay, lapacho, and oak, as well as softer and easier-to-handle ones—like cedar, poplar, jacaranda, and carob (algarrobo), among others—were used to craft household utensils, mates, chairs, troughs (bateas), mortars, riding whips (rebenques), machetes, fences, beams, looms, and hundreds of rural and urban elements. From colonial times to the present day, wood artisans have transformed this raw material. Thanks to them, it acquired shapes, colors, and meanings to become pieces of artistic, cultural, and identity value. Traditional, indigenous, criollo, and contemporary crafts made from different woods reflect a great diversity of techniques, shapes, functions, and designs intimately linked to humanity's use and engagement with its environment throughout Argentina. For the first time in this Museum, wood will be the main protagonist. Carvings, saints, and images from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, toys, aboriginal and criollo musical instruments, Chané-Chiriguano masks, and objects of daily use and decoration will converse with guest artisans specially invited for this exhibition. Felicitas Luna Director of MAPJH."

After finishing this exhibition tour, we returned, went down the stairs, and headed to the other sector where the remaining two rooms were located.

Here in the garden, there is also plenty to see. There are plants and trees. The garden of this museum underwent some remodeling. In 1956, several typical native plant species were planted, including the Salta ceibo, of which there are only a few specimens in the entire city of Buenos Aires. On one of the garden walls, you can observe a set of bronze commemorative plaques that accumulate over time, commemorating events or dates of importance to the museum. Right there, you can also see a sculpture resembling an insect, a cricket or locust, made entirely from car parts.

In the photograph, you can see a bronze sculpture representing two horses. This work was created by Emilio Sarguinet, an Argentine sculptor (1887–1943). The piece was installed in the house after it began serving as a museum. In the museum publication "Suggested Tour," it is titled Celos de bronce (Bronze Jealousy).

A few meters further along, still in the museum patio—where there were also benches for visitors wishing to sit under the trees in a place surrounded by buildings—there was a wellhead (aljibe) and a large jar.

Regarding the jar, it is actually a large vessel, a piece of pottery from the province of Salta. It was donated by a married couple who transported it thousands of miles from their relatives' home in that province. Its original function was to collect rainwater. It was made using an ancient technique: the coil method (técnica del rodillo), predating the potter's wheel, which few artisans use today for pieces of this size.

As for the wellhead (aljibe), it is actually a reproduction of a well curb similar to those in colonial-era homes. The custom of displaying replicas of ancient objects to evoke a certain past became strong in the mid-20th century, and this is an example. In 2013, the wellhead was intervened with filete porteño art by Cristina Lara and Carlos Acquisto.

A quick glance at the wall on the other side of the patio revealed something. It looked like a colorful circle, and when we approached, we saw the plaque at the bottom titled Mandala de la Tierra (Earth Mandala). It is a community mural resulting from a participatory intervention by Grupo Volare, coordinated by Paulina Rucco, an artisan specialized in glass fusing whose website is http://www.paulinarucco.com.ar/. The mural was donated in 2012 and was made using glass shards collected after a severe storm. Thus, under the slogan "Thus we bring you back to life, broken glass. Be happy!", the mural was installed. The mandala is part of a series of recycled glass mandalas called "Fusionarse – ser uno" (Merging – Being One), and by then, 8 mandalas of 1 meter in diameter each had been created.

Finally, on our museum tour, we reached the last two exhibitions. The first one we visited was A 180 años del nacimiento de José Hernández. Exposición homenaje (180th Anniversary of the Birth of José Hernández: Tribute Exhibition), organized with the Museum of Drawing and Illustration.

I transcribe the following from the press release to understand what the exhibition is about: "The Undersecretariat of Heritage, through the General Directorate of Museums, invites you to the exhibition A 180 años del nacimiento de José Hernández (180 Years Since the Birth of José Hernández), organized by the José Hernández Museum of Popular Art and the Museum of Drawing and Illustration. The exhibition takes place at the writer's honorary museum headquarters located at Avenida del Libertador 2373, and can be visited until this Sunday, November 17, today from 1 PM to 7 PM, and tomorrow and Sunday from 10 AM to 8 PM. The exhibition features original drawings by Carlos Alonso, Adolfo Bellocq, Juan Carlos Castagnino, Aída Carballo, and Eleodoro Marenco regarding El gaucho Martín Fierro and La Vuelta de Martín Fierro, belonging to the collection of Hugo Oscar Maradei's Museum of Drawing and Illustration. From the library of the José Hernández Museum of Popular Art, old pamphlets, rare editions, illustrated copies, and translations of Martín Fierro were specially chosen for the exhibition. A letter by José Hernández recently found in the Museum and a drawing made by Hermenegildo Sábat about José Hernández specially for this institution are the gems of the expo."

Among the various objects on display, one showcase contained several books related to José Hernández, more precisely to Martín Fierro. In the photograph, I was struck by the image on the book selected to be opened: they look more like a US Sioux Native American tribe with their characteristic tipi dwellings than indigenous peoples in current Argentine territory around 1880 or the epoch of the Conquest of the Desert.

The following are other photos taken at the exhibition, where there was also a monitor playing audiovisual material.

El gaucho Martín Fierro and La vuelta de Martín Fierro. José Hernández. Illustrated by Carlos Alonso. Buenos Aires: Emecé, 1960. 154 p.

Víctor Rebuffo. Painter and printmaker. Illustrated Martín Fierro for E.L.M.A. in 1972 and Nuestra tierra y su gente en el Martín Fierro for Albino and Associates, publishers, in 1979.

Before finishing this room's tour, I must mention that on the occasion of the 180th anniversary of José Hernández's birth, the museum published a book in his honor.

The press release states: "The José Hernández Museum of Popular Art presents the book A 180 años de José Hernández. El Martín Fierro en el Siglo XXI (180 Years Since José Hernández: Martín Fierro in the 21st Century), the result of research paying homage to this notable Argentine, the foremost representative of gaucho poetry. It brings together research on his work and life, and reveals a letter by the poet whose original was recently found in the library. It also includes research on the beautiful illustrated editions of Martín Fierro from the Museum's bibliographic collections. Closing the book is an essay by the young and talented writer Diego Meret, who provides a new vision of the poem upon encountering Martín Fierro in the greater Buenos Aires suburbs."

To give an idea of its contents: 1- José Hernández, his life in our library. 2- The thunder voice keeps resounding. 3- A letter by José Hernández in the museum. 4- The illustrated editions of Martín Fierro in the library. 5- El gaucho Martín Fierro, 9th edition. 6- La vuelta del Martín Fierro, 4th edition. 7- Modernity and enduring relevance of Martín Fierro. To read a brief explanation of each chapter, visit the following link: http://museohernandez.buenosaires.gob.ar/?page_id=6595

Thus we arrived at the last exhibition available at the museum on the day of our visit, titled Ceramistas, Coleccionistas y Apasionadas por el Arte. Obras de María Isabel, Mabel y María Castellano Fotheringam (Ceramists, Collectors, and Art Enthusiasts: Works by María Isabel, Mabel, and María Castellano Fotheringam).

Here is the invitation to the exhibition via the press release: "The Undersecretariat of Heritage, through the General Directorate of Museums and the José Hernández Museum of Popular Art, announces the celebration of Artisan Day with the inauguration of the exhibition Ceramistas, coleccionistas y apasionadas por el arte, which will take place on Thursday, March 19 at 6:30 PM at the Museum headquarters – Avenida del Libertador 2373."

The photograph shows the works La lavandera (The Laundress) and El vendedor de pasteles (The Pastry Vendor), from the series Trajes y costumbres de Buenos Aires (Costumes and Customs of Buenos Aires), belonging to the MAPJH collection. Above them are paintings of these ancient trades upon which these characters are based. The word Trage is written that way on the artwork's label, although today it is correctly spelled Traje.

More information about the exhibition, taken from the Press Release and also available in the museum room:

" 'She was like a queen.' That is how my father, Félix Luna, defined María Isabel Fotheringham. Her personality and exquisite humor, her fair skin and light eyes, her presence and voice testified to a singular woman. A ceramist by choice and love, her pieces are found in several national institutions and also in our Museum. Born to a sensitive mother with a great love for the country and its roots, her daughters Isabel and María Castellano Fotheringham were gallery owners, ceramists, antiques dealers, collectors, and donors. A perfect fraternal and project union that continues to this day. Mabel, restless and visionary, drawing and painting teacher, restorer, and a master with her hands, transformed the dresses of hundreds of dolls with grace and historical rigor, which can be visited today at the Casa Fernández Blanco. María learned the artisanal craft of ceramics from her mother but with her own stripped-down, vibrant style where religious themes predominate. Angels, saints, and celestial beings coincide with her mystical and spiritual personality. This exhibition is a tribute to this trilogy of women who, each in their own way, did much to elevate popular art. Felicitas Luna Director of MAPJH."

Chola con niño (Chola with Child). María Castellano Fotheringham. Slipware (Engobe). Private collection.

The ceramists have recreated many characters representing various customs, places, or people—here, a chola with her child, scenes of ancient and not-so-ancient trades, others with scenes of Córdoba customs, and quite a few with religious scenes such as one titled La huida a Egipto (The Flight into Egypt). They also created military sculptures, such as those representing soldiers in the "Conquest of the Desert." There was also framed correspondence exchanged with writers, one of them Manuel Mujica Láinez. Interestingly, the letters included drawings interspersed with the writing. And finally, a recently published book (2013) dedicated to ceramist María Isabel Fotheringham (1894–1988), titled Barro y Fuego (Mud and Fire), commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of her passing.

The previous photo and the following photo belong to the same work. It is called Carro canastero (Basket Cart) by María Isabel Fotheringham de Castellano.

Aside from how well-made it is and how it reflects another bygone custom that—at least until the early nineties—was still circulating in very small towns in the interior of the country, and was quite common forty or fifty years ago in medium and small towns, is how well-crafted it is, and the joke: looking closely, you can see the man in charge of the cart resting, leaning backward, and smoking! With the entire pile of wicker baskets on top of him. These carts were also known as carros mimbreros (wicker carts); they moved slowly and carried a load of various objects: chairs, hampers, baskets, and much more.

"Thank you so much for the implausible basket cart!" That is what León Benarós called this work, El Canastero by María Isabel Fotheringham de Castellano, in the 1967 Barro y Fuego Catalog.

Experts from the Luis Perlotti Sculpture Museum—the sculptor who inspired the author—described this ceramic piece:

"The work of María Isabel Fotheringham de Castellano, marked by a modern technique and aesthetic resolution, brings us closer to her universe, which is intensely linked to family history and the recovery of ethnic types and popular customs. El Carro Canastero, like her other ceramics, nostalgically evokes figures of the past. The modeling and color palette suited to the theme ultimately captivate the spectator, who will never forget such essential artistic production."

All this and more can be read on the museum's page by following this direct link: http://museohernandez.buenosaires.gob.ar/?p=1304

I conclude with the last photograph: in the background, a couple of photographs can be seen on the wall; in the foreground, a notebook for visitors to leave notes; and on one of the wall columns, a sign prohibiting flash photography. Photography is allowed without flash, because repeated flash lights can damage the pigments of the artworks.

Before leaving, we passed through the entrance hall again. There was a counter with items for sale. We bought a couple of museum pins—until then I didn't know some museums had their own pins—a couple of pencils, and left one of the books they had for sale for later. In fact, there is a website for the museum shop: http://www.museodeartemoderno.buenosaires.gob.ar/tienda.htm