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[title]“Energy and Optimism for a Lifetime” is a journey through works by more than sixty artists who have shaped the history of Ruth Benzacar. A special and deeply moving celebration.
Every visit to an art exhibition is unique. The way the works are displayed invites viewers to step into a different world and, for a moment, detach from reality. It is an intensely personal experience, guided by the gallery’s curatorial vision and the distinctive identity of a show built around a specific concept.
Ruth Benzacar Art Gallery has inaugurated this remarkable exhibition celebrating its 60th anniversary: “Energy and Optimism for a Lifetime.” It is an invitation to delve into the gallery’s history and into that of Argentine contemporary art, from its founding in 1965 to the present day. A journey through time featuring works that, at some point, once adorned the walls of one of Ruth Benzacar’s four gallery spaces. Undoubtedly, it is a look back at the past that gives shape to this extraordinary present and evokes precious memories.
Who was Ruth Benzacar and what was her impact on contemporary art?
Ruth Benzacar was a prominent gallerist who succeeded in positioning Argentine contemporary art on both the national and international stage. After traveling to New York, she managed to screen a video at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) that promoted Argentine artists.
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In 1965, she founded Galería Ruth Benzacar, one of the most emblematic institutions in Latin America, representing both established and emerging artists. In its early days, the gallery operated out of a family PH apartment, where biweekly gatherings were held with artists, critics, writers, and musicians. Ten years later, it moved to an elegant apartment on Talcahuano Street, and eventually relocated to its space at Florida 1000, where it reached its peak of expansion and international recognition.
Today, the gallery operates three spaces and preserves its distinctive spirit under the direction of Orly Benzacar and Mora Bacal, Ruth Benzacar’s daughter and granddaughter.
The gallery holds countless remarkable stories within its walls. “Energy and optimism for a lifetime” was the wish of Federico Manuel Peralta Ramos—a major figure in the local art scene known for his work as a painter, draftsman, actor, and singer—in a letter he wrote to Ruth Benzacar in 1985. Today, that very phrase has become the title of the exhibition. The gallery also preserves memories of every visitor. Personally, it holds one of my most cherished memories. When my daughter Morita was just a few days old, I took her to Ruth Benzacar Art Gallery at Florida 1000, one of the city’s most important cultural spaces. It was her first social outing: she saw, with her tiny eyes, all the art surrounding her, and it was where she met Ruth and Orly Benzacar.
This journey through the gallery’s history traces its early artistic explorations rooted in eclecticism and surrealism, moves through the avant-garde of the 1970s, the movements of the 1980s and 1990s, and reaches the contemporary scene of the 21st century. The exhibition is the result of an extensive research and curatorial process led by Sofía Dourron, together with Orly Benzacar and Mora Bacal, with research assistance by Belén Coluccio.
An exhibition featuring exclusive presentations created especially to commemorate its history. A journey into the past and present of the gallery and of contemporary art, reliving—with deep emotion—the most significant moments and evoking the beautiful energy with which Ruth Benzacar Art Gallery was born.
When and where: the exhibition can be visited Tuesday through Saturday, from 2 to 7pm, at Juan Ramírez de Velasco 1287, Villa Crespo.