Ernesto de la Cárcova Museum of Reproductions and Comparative Sculpture

The Ernesto de la Cárcova Museum of Reproductions and Comparative Sculpture is an art museum located in the Puerto Madero ward of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Administered by the National University of Arts, it is the oldest and most important museum of its kind in Latin America. Founded in 1928, the institution houses over 700 sculptural reproductions spanning more than 4,000 years of art history, from ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian works through Greek, Roman, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and pre-Columbian art. Its collection serves both exhibition and pedagogical functions, reflecting its origins as a teaching resource for fine arts students.

The museum's origins trace to painter Ernesto de la Cárcova, who purchased a collection of reproductions in Berlin between 1905 and 1908, primarily based on works displayed at the Berlin State Museums. He exhibited these works at the Buenos Aires Centennial Exposition of 1910. In 1921, de la Cárcova became the first President of the National School of Fine Arts, and from 1923 to 1927 he bequeathed his collection of German sculptures for the creation of the Museum of Reproductions and Comparative Sculpture. The National School of Fine Arts acquired buildings in eastern Puerto Madero that had been constructed around 1900 as the Lazareto stables, a municipal agency controlling imported horses entering through the Port of Buenos Aires. These structures were refurbished in 1923, and with support from the National Commission of Fine Arts, the museum was inaugurated in 1928, named in honor of its founder. The museum opened to the public in 1932 under the direction of Ángel Guido. A major expansion came in 1935 when approximately 200 casts of Egyptian and Mesopotamian figures were ceded by the Juan B. Ambrosetti Museum of Ethnography. For nine decades, the site also housed the Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes, Ernesto de la Cárcova, a prestigious postgraduate institution. Both the school and museum were absorbed into the new National University of Arts in 1996. The museum has since undergone significant restoration, including the creation of a main entrance from Avenida Elvira Rawson de Dellepiane through a park, a central multifunctional event space, and full modernization of floors, surfaces, ceilings, lighting, heating, and accessibility features.

The museum's holdings consist of over 700 sculptures, all exact replicas of original works created through die casting or mold reproduction. Many are first castings, meaning they represent the initial copies made from the originals. The collection spans ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Asian, Hindu, Greek, Roman, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Mannerist, Mesoamerican, and Andean art. The museum also maintains a library with important art books and a print collection containing works by artists trained at the institution, including pieces by Aída Carballo. The pedagogical function remains central: the museum was conceived to provide models for students of the fine arts, and many later works were created by students in the College of Fine Arts.

The collection is organized across multiple halls. Hall One features reproductions of works by Michelangelo including David, Moses, Lorenzo de Medici (Il Pensieroso), Pietà, and Dolorosa Madonna; two fragments from Chartres Cathedral representing Jesus and the four Evangelists and the King of Judea; Gothic examples including the Smiling Angel from Reims Cathedral and Beau Dieu from Amiens Cathedral; and polychrome reliefs by Andrea della Robbia, The Annunciation. Hall Two presents Hellenistic works: the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Belvedere Torso, and the Venus de Milo; Parthenon sculptures including Aphrodite and Dione, the Ilissos caryatid, and the Erechtheion; and ancient Egyptian sculptures of Nefertiti and Princess Meritaten Tasherit. Hall Three contains ancient Egyptian works including Dersenez the Scribe and the Dendera Zodiac relief; Assyrian works including the Resting Lion and the Wounded Lioness bas-relief; Indian art including Prajnaparamita from Java, Shiva Nataraja, and a Buddha head; and pre-Columbian pieces including the Queen of Uxmal, the Red Jaguar from Chichen Itza, the Head of Coyolxauhqui, a basalt Teocalli, and an Inca sculpture from Huaylas, Ancash.

The museum occupies a cluster of buildings at the corner of Boulevard Elvira Rawson de Dellepiane and Avenida España in Puerto Madero. Originally constructed around 1900 as the Lazareto stables for controlling imported animals at the port, the buildings were remodeled in 1923 to accommodate the Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes. The 1928 installation of the museum occurred within this adapted industrial complex. Recent restoration has added a main entrance through a park on Avenida Elvira Rawson de Dellepiane, a central void that serves as a multifunctional event space while permitting views of the entire ensemble and a frontal view of the David cast from the entrance, and fully accessible ramps and facilities. The renovation involved coordinated work by specialists, museologists, sculptors, and restorers to relocate and preserve the 700 casts.

The Ernesto de la Cárcova Museum of Reproductions and Comparative Sculpture is located in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the corner of Boulevard Elvira Rawson de Dellepiane and Avenida España. It is administered by the National University of Arts, having been absorbed from the National School of Fine Arts in 1996. The official website is https://museodelacarcova.una.edu.ar/. The museum functions as a university museum with capacity to host all the languages that integrate the National University of the Arts, maintaining its pedagogical orientation while addressing contemporary cultural interests. It presents the art of sculpture from antiquity to the present day.