Antonio Berni in Buenos Aires

Many artists from Buenos Aires represented the city in different ways and in different times, but my favorite artist in this theme is ANTONIO BERNI, especially in his series of paintings about an imaginary character called Juanito Laguna.

This boy lived in a shanty town in the suburbs, but Berni paints him reaching or leaving the city-monster.

As passionate as he was, he wanted to tell us what Juanito sees and finds there, and as if he were using words, he included an amazing amount of waste making up a collage and assembled pictures together with the brushstrokes defining his character. In this way, not only is the reality “told” but is materially present in the paintings. It is real, it can be felt, and it can even be smelt.

Cans, garbage, empty containers, bottle tops, nails, old shoes, in an utter disorder show what is left behind in a consumer society and surround Juanito, who walks among them, sits on them or watches the moon from them.

This chaotic area of waste is opposed to more structured areas where the city and its high buildings are present showing the impact of modernity. Also, neat blonde blue-eyed children stand in stark contrast to the main character, referring to our European ancestors or maybe to a more political view of the reality.

Buenos Aires city, by the hand Antonio Berni’s brushes and creativity, is attractive and mysterious at the same time.

You must come and enjoy the city, and meet Juanito Laguna in the collections of the Museo Nacional de Buenos Aires ( Buenos Aires National Museum ), Museo de Arte Moderno ( Modern Art Museum ), Museo Sívori, Museo de Arte Latinoamericano and in the latest Museo Fortabat.

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