National Museum of Decorative Arts

The National Museum of Decorative Arts is an art museum located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Established in 1937, it is housed in the former Palacio Errázuriz, an ornate neoclassical mansion in the Recoleta neighborhood. The institution is considered one of the principal museums of decorative arts in the country, preserving the early twentieth century domestic ambiance and art collections of its original owners while hosting temporary exhibitions, choir concerts, and educational courses.

The museum originated from the 1897 marriage of two prominent members of Argentine high society, Matías Errázuriz, the son of Chilean emigres, and Josefina de Alvear, the granddaughter of Independence era leader Carlos María de Alvear. During Errázuriz's tenure as ambassador to France, the couple acquired numerous antiques and objets d'art. In 1911, they commissioned French architect René Sergent to design a Buenos Aires mansion for their retirement. Completed in 1916, the couple spent two additional years decorating the residence. Following Josefina's death in 1935, Matías bequeathed the mansion and its collections to the Argentine government on the advice of their children. The Argentine state acquired the property under Law 12351, and the museum was officially established on December 18, 1937.

The museum collection comprises over 6,000 objects, predominantly focusing on European and Oriental decorative arts spanning the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. The holdings include paintings, sculptures, antique pieces, furniture, silverware, tapestries, and porcelain. The permanent exhibition is displayed across twelve rooms, supplemented by rotating temporary exhibitions.

Among the most significant works in the collection are paintings by El Greco, Jean Honoré Fragonard, and Édouard Manet. Specific notable paintings include El Greco's Jesus Carrying the Cross, Fragonard's The Sacrifice of the Rose, and Manet's Portrait of Abbe Hurel. The sculpture collection features a Roman Minerva, the Adoration of the Magi by Cristoforo Mantegazza, and Eternal Spring by Auguste Rodin. The museum also holds East Asian art, including Japanese lacquer decorations and Chinese hard stones, alongside miniature art collections.

The building is a sample of pure eclecticism, drawing heavily from eighteenth century French neoclassicism, particularly the works of Jacques A. Gabriel, architect to the Court of Louis XV. Sergent's team included decorators H. Nelson, G. Hoentschel, and M. Carlhian, with gardens designed by Achille Duchêne. Construction materials, including wooden panels, mirrors, marble, and latches, were brought from Europe, and European artisans executed stucco decorations. The imposing facade features gigantic Corinthian columns covering the principal floor with round arches and the first floor family rooms, with servant quarters hidden by a balustrade in the attic. Interior rooms include a Louis XV style entrance hall, a Renaissance style Great Hall with a double height ceiling and maple and walnut parquetry, a baroque dining room inspired by the Hercules Room at the Palace of Versailles, a Louis XVI style Winter Garden, a Rococo ballroom, and a neoclassical study designed by André Carlhian featuring carved oak panels and red velvet tapestry.

The museum is located on Avenida del Libertador in the Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Since 1944, the building has also housed the Argentine Academy of Letters. The ornate neoclassical structure commissioned by the Errázuriz family inspired the neighboring Bosch family to commission a similar palace, which today serves as the residence of the United States Ambassador.