MALBA ADDS EIGHT WORKS TO ITS COLLECTION FOR ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY

As part of the celebrations marking its 25th anniversary, Malba announces the addition of Abstracción con material by Juan Del Prete (Vasto, Italy, October 5, 1897–Buenos Aires, Argentina, February 4, 1987) and Conocimiento siniestro nº 4 «El ser» by Líbero Badíi (Arezzo, Italy, February 2, 1916–Buenos Aires, Argentina, February 11, 2001), who thus enters the museum's collection for the first time. Both works were acquired thanks to the commitment of the Acquisitions Committee and the generosity of individuals and institutions. Since its founding, the Committee has played a key role in tripling Malba's founding collection, through a combination of private donations and corporate contributions.

In the words of María Amalia García, Chief Curator of Malba: "These two chosen pieces are key additions to the museum's holdings. On one hand, Juan Del Prete is a central link in the narrative of abstraction that Malba proposes, as it connects with other works in the collection: Emilio Pettoruti's abstract charcoal drawings from 1914 and the large group of Invencionista pieces and cut-out frames. This allows us to deepen and present a more plural view of these developments. On the other hand, the addition of a work by Líbero Badíi settles a debt owed to one of the Argentine artists who actively contributed to promoting Latin American art. A member of a generation interested in revisiting ties with the ancient cultures of the Americas, Badíi maintained a sustained dialogue with them and brought a distinctive sensibility toward color into American production."

The works were voted on by the members of the Acquisitions Committee based on a selection proposed by Malba's Curatorial team, composed of María Amalia García (Chief Curator of Malba), Nancy Rojas (Curator at Malba), Alejandra Aguado (Artistic Coordinator of Malba Puertos and Curator of the Eduardo F. Costantini Collection), and Valeria Intrieri (Malba Collection Registry and Management). They were chosen with the aim of continuing to strengthen the collection with pieces representative of the museum's holdings.

Elena Nofal, Director of Development, notes: "As part of the museum's 25th anniversary, we are pleased to continue counting on such a committed group dedicated to acquiring Latin American art. Looking back on our history, we recall that it all began in 2004 with the first works acquired exclusively at arteBA. Since the Acquisitions Committee was founded in 2012, we have grown steadily with the goal of strengthening Malba's collection. Today, the Committee, made up of more than eighty members, plays a fundamental role in this process. This year, their commitment reached a record level and made it possible to add two new works to the collection, which the public visiting the museum will now be able to enjoy."

This year, six additional works were also added through donations. Thanks to the generosity of Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, and in honor of María Amalia León, the museum has acquired the woodcut Al este del Paraíso (1995) by Jorge Pineda (Barahona, 1961–Santo Domingo, 2023), a key figure in the renewal of the visual arts in the Dominican Republic starting in the 1990s. In addition, artist Mario Testino (Lima, Peru, 1954), whose exhibition In Your Face was shown at Malba in 2014, donated the photographs Gisele Bündchen, New York, Vanity Fair (2007) and Sienna Miller, Roma, American Vogue (2007). Finally, as part of the exhibition Margarita Paksa. Ideas correspondientes, 1964-1984, three works by the Argentine artist were formally incorporated thanks to a donation from Sergio and Leandro Cairola Paksa. These are Idea correspondiente (1967), Identidad en dos situaciones (1967), and Tiempo de descuento, cuenta regresiva, la hora O. (1978).