MALBA to showcase 150 works in 25th anniversary exhibition revamp

The Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires (MALBA) will open a major exhibition on May 1 to mark its 25th anniversary, bringing together around 150 works in a wide-ranging rehang of its core collection.

Latinoamérica en expansión (“Latin America in Expansion”) draws on both the museum’s institutional holdings and the private collection of its founder, Eduardo F. Costantini, offering a survey of regional art from 1900 through to the 1970s.

The exhibition will take over Gallery 2 on Level 1, with a public opening scheduled for April 30 at 7pm. The launch will be preceded by a conversation between Costantini and curators María Amalia García and Alejandra Aguado, which will be streamed live on YouTube.

Curated by García, Aguado and Nancy Rojas, the exhibition is structured around 10 thematic sections, each anchored by emblematic works. The approach frames Latin American art as both interconnected and internally diverse.

According to the museum, the curatorial concept revisits the idea of “anthropophagy” developed by Brazilian writer Oswald de Andrade – a notion of critically absorbing Western modernity while asserting local identities. The exhibition uses that lens to explore how artists across the region engaged with, adapted and reshaped global artistic currents.

The rehang incorporates key works acquired through the purchase of the Daros Latinamerica Collection, including pieces by Joaquín Torres García, Lygia Clark, Hélio Oiticica, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Jesús Rafael Soto, Gego, Mira Schendel and Julio Le Parc.

The exhibition will also feature major works by artists such as Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Tarsila do Amaral, Xul Solar, Emilio Pettoruti, Wifredo Lam, Roberto Matta, Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington and Antonio Berni.

Costantini said the exhibition reflects “a moment of expansion” for the museum, pointing to ongoing plans for an underground extension beneath Plaza Perú.

From September 18, the show will expand into Gallery 3 with a new section focused on works produced from the 1960s onwards. That extension will run until February 8, 2027.

Malba’s anniversary programme will also feature seminars, concerts, screenings, workshops and a gala scheduled for September 17, 2026.