A masterpiece of Latin American art

Tribute to Antonio Berni
With an aesthetic approach he himself called "new realism," the most renowned Argentine painter, engraver, and muralist revolutionized the art scene in the first half of the 20th century. UNSAM, through the Institute for Research on Cultural Heritage (IIPC), participated in the restoration of "Chacareros" and "Plastic Exercise," two emblematic works of his legacy.

By Camila Flynn.

Painted in 1935 on a 2 x 3 meter burlap canvas, "Chacareros" hung in the Reading Room of the Buenos Aires City Legislature until 2005, when a thorough analysis revealed that the canvas was in danger. It was then that the Institute for Research on Cultural Heritage (IIPC)—at the time still known as Taller Tarea—took on the challenge of recovering the work: the decay of the jute fibers in the burlap bags threatened the structure of this colossal painting, assembled from discarded materials.

“Chacareros” corresponds to the moment when Berni became an artist committed to his time, in a style that bears witness to an era fraught with political and social tensions,” explained Néstor Barrio, dean of the IIPC, in 2005. At the time, he explained: “From the same period are “Desocupación,” “Manifestación,” and “Midnight in the World,” works dominated by the character of mural painting, where each of the human types takes on the status of portraits, as a collection of concrete individuals.”

In addition to granting UNSAM the opportunity to examine the work up close, the project was also the starting point for a scientific and technical investigation that allowed for the characterization of the materials and techniques used by the Rosario-born artist.

In turn, "Plastic Exercise"—a mural work in which Berni participated with Lino Enea Spilimbergo, Juan Carlos Castagnino, and Enrique Lázaro, under the direction of David Alfaro Siqueiros—is another of the artist's pieces that the IIPC had the privilege of restoring, and which is now a key piece in the Bicentennial Museum.

Considered a masterpiece of Latin American art, it was declared an Asset of National Historic-Artistic Interest in 2003. Five years later, for its restoration, the IIPC, together with a team of Mexican specialists, carried out a physical and chemical investigation of its components, a historical study of the sources, the documentary corpus, and its final placement in the Taylor Customs House, located in the Casa Rosada. The monumental task was captured in one of the episodes of the series "Restorers," broadcast in 2012 on Canal Encuentro.

Antonio Berni died on October 13, 1981. His work reflects his concern for social issues and is evidence of a highly personal search for new expressive media, which included collage, assemblage, and printmaking. He received national and international recognition, including several awards from the National Salon in Buenos Aires, the Venice International Biennale, and the Berlin Intergraphic Exhibition.

A few days before his death, he said in an interview: "Art is a response to life. Being an artist means taking a risky way of living, embracing one of the greatest forms of freedom, making no concessions. As for painting, it is a form of love, of transmitting the years in art."
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