House of Rogelio Yrurtia Museum

The House of Rogelio Yrurtia Museum (Spanish: Museo Casa de Rogelio Yrurtia) is an art museum in the Belgrano district of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It preserves the former residence of the Argentine sculptor Rogelio Yrurtia and his wife, the painter Lia Correa Morales, and opened to the public in 1949. The institution stands as a significant example of a house-museum in Argentina, combining the artist's domestic environment with his personal art collection and studio works.

Rogelio Yrurtia acquired the property in 1921 with the intention of renovating it. The house, which had existed since the nineteenth century, was awarded a municipal architecture prize in 1923. Yrurtia chose a neo-colonial style for the building, reflecting a broader intellectual interest among Argentine elites in reclaiming Hispanic and creole origins. In 1942, through Law 12.824, the sculptor and his wife transferred the home and its contents to the government; the initiative gained final legislative momentum through the intervention of socialist deputy Alfredo Palacios. Following Yrurtia's death, Correa Morales vacated the property to enable the museum's realization, moving to a residence across the street. The museum opened to the public in 1949, with Correa Morales living until 1975.

The collection derives from artworks Yrurtia gathered during his travels, resulting in a notably diverse assemblage displayed throughout the rooms of the former house. It encompasses sculptures, bronze portraits, sketches, and studies for major works by Yrurtia himself, alongside paintings and works by his wife Lia Correa Morales. The holdings extend beyond fine art to include decorative and domestic objects: rugs, carpets, ceramics, and household items such as cups, plates, kettles, soup tureens, and candles from Europe and Asia. The furnishings represent varied stylistic traditions, with British Empire, French, and Flemish Renaissance pieces predominating.

Among the paintings in the collection are works by significant Argentine artists: Martín Malharro, Eduardo Sívori, Angel Della Valle, and Benito Quinquela Martin. A particular highlight is an early work by Pablo Picasso that Yrurtia acquired during a trip to Paris. These works are exhibited alongside Yrurtia's own sculptures, bronze portraits, and preparatory studies for his major commissions, as well as works by Correa Morales.

The museum occupies a nineteenth-century property at O'Higgins 2390 in the Belgrano neighborhood. After Yrurtia's 1921 acquisition, he remodeled it in the neo-colonial style, an approach that aligned with contemporary intellectual currents favoring Hispanic tradition. The municipal architecture prize awarded in 1923 recognized the quality of this renovation. The house retains its domestic character, with artworks and objects displayed in its various rooms as Yrurtia arranged them.

The House of Rogelio Yrurtia Museum is located in the Belgrano district of Buenos Aires, Argentina, at O'Higgins 2390. It operates under government ownership, having been transferred to the state through the 1942 donation. The institution maintains an official website at https://museoyrurtia.cultura.gob.ar/ and continues to serve as a public museum preserving the artistic and domestic legacy of Rogelio Yrurtia and Lia Correa Morales.