Buenos Aires: One of the World’s Street Art Capitals
Buenos Aires has earned a reputation for being one of the world’s greatest cities for street art. From homages to cultural figures to scenes depicting political satire, colorful murals adorn the sides of buildings in many neighborhoods throughout the city.
Street art is highly valued in Argentina, and as such, the laws surrounding street art are fairly relaxed. Artists typically just need permission from the property owners or a building’s residents’ association to paint, providing them with a huge blank canvas. This has attracted artists from around the world and given local artists great opportunities to showcase their works.
The trendy and artsy neighborhoods of Palermo Hollywood and Palermo Soho house a great collection of quirky and colorful murals, as does the must-visit area of La Boca. But travelers should also venture out of the tourist circuit to Coghlan, Villa Urquiza, Colegiales and Barracas to see some of the barrios with interesting murals, many of which are also great introductions to local culture and history.
The world’s longest mural painted by a single artist – El Regreso de Quinquela by Alfredo Segatori – is found in Buenos Aires and measures a whopping 21,500 square feet. The mural is a tribute to Argentine painter Benito Quinquela Martin who was famous for portraying the daily life of the iconic neighborhood of La Boca.
Internationally acclaimed urban artist Martín Ron, ranked amongst the top 10 in the world by Art Democracy magazine, is also from Buenos Aires. His murals can be found in cities like London, Miami, Doha and Tallinn. He has numerous works in Buenos Aires, including The Parrot’s Tale in the Villa Urquiza neighborhood, Lady with Dragonfly Wings in La Boca, Project Duo in Palermo, as well as several works on the walls of the Clínicas Hospital and in various subte stations.
Some of the other more spectacular works include the colorful mosaic façades on cobble-stoned Lanín Street in Barracas, namely, Homeless Man with Dog by El Marian in Coghlan, Frida Kahlo in Palermo and the portrait of tango legend Carlos Gardel in Balvanera. Also, be sure to check out the ever-changing façade of the Recoleta Cultural Center that is repainted by a different artist as exhibitions change.
In the neighborhood of San Telmo, the Paseo de la Historieta (Comic Strip Walk) is an open-air sculpture museum dedicated to Argentine comic book characters including a tribute to Mafalda, Argentina’s most beloved comic book character that gained international fame.