On Sunday, April 3, 2011 it will be the opening of the 245h Season of the Fair of Crafts and Popular Argentinian Traditions, better known as the Mataderos Fair, which will operate as usual on Sundays and Holidays 11 am to 8 pm in its winter schedule. The season is scheduled to last until Sunday, December 18, 2011.

At the Mataderos Fair visitors can enjoy more than 500 traditional craft stalls from around the country and about 40 stalls of local products and food characteristic of our country: locro, humita, empanadas, tamales, asado, "choripan", tortas fritas. As usual, gaucho skills as the Corrida de Sortijas, the traditional game of Pato (horse ball), traditional parades of floats, the Gauchos Parades, as well as recreational activities for the whole family as the Children's Film Club, and over 15 free workshops: Folk dance, Loom, Guitar, Charango, Sikus, Tango, wood carving, Quichua Language, Basketry, Ceramics, etc.

The opening will feature a special guest: Jorge Fandermole.

During the year many renowned artists will be presented in the main stage, as well as folk music and dance groups that always accompany the Fair, many of which travel specially from various provinces of our country to be at the Fair, a wonderful opportunity to showcase their music.

Throughout the year several special events are held, with a prominent priority for National holidays: May 25, July 9, October 12 (Reaffirmation of the rights of indigenous peoples), November 10 (Tradition Day), and in the month of June the celebration of the Mataderos Fair's birthday.

The famous statue "Doríforo", one of the most important pieces from the Naples National Archaeological Museum, will be displayed at the National Museum of Fine Arts of Buenos Aires, from April 1st to June 30th, 2011.
The sculpture, 2.12 meters high, which is featured in every Art History book, is considered the most complete copy in marble of the famous bronze statue made by Policletus in 440 B.C. It was found in 1797 in the gymnasium of Pompeii "Palestra Sanità".

The work represents the figure of a naked young man in a walking position. The right leg firmly planted on the ground, while the left, backward, touches the ground with his toes. The right arm falls across the body while his left arm is flexed and holds a spear, now lost. The head is slightly turned to the right. The harmony and balance of proportions, the alternation of tension and bending are characteristic of the work of Policletus, great artist of the bronze, from mid V to early IV century BC.
Some historians saw in this sculpture the image of Achilles, and others, that of Orestes or Theseus, the hero who defeated the Minotaur.
Recently, attention was drawn to the position of the fingers of his left hand, determining that it did not support a cylindrical shaft but a curved object like the handle of a shield, projecting the image of a young man with a large round shield in his left hand and a sword in his right. From this analysis it appears that these attributes correspond to Theseus, Athenian hero connected with the civil and military training of young Greeks. This interpretation is reinforced by the sites where they where copies of sculptures were found, including arenas and gyms reserved for Roman youth.
"Doríforo" is without doubts one of the most famous works of antiquity, and this Pompeian marble copy of the original bronze statue, despite being rebuilt with the original fragments, has the virtue of being complete. These features led the National Museum of Fine Arts to select this sculpture to represent Italy in Argentina, showing the relationship of a cultural identity based on common roots that secure the friendship between the two countries, and celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Italian unity.

Location: Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (MNBA). Av. Libertador 1473. Ground floor, Central Hall

Dates and times:

April 1st to June 30th, 2011. 

Tuesday to Friday from 12:30pm to 8:30pm

Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30am to 8:30pm

Mondays closed

Admission: free.

"Nuestros Caballos 2011" (Our Horses 2011), the most important equestrian exhibition in Latin America, will be held at La Rural Exhibition Center from April 5 to April 10, 2011, with equestrian and recreational activities for the whole family.
Children and adults alike will be able to see, in the heart of the city, over  850 horses specially brought from different spots in the country for this exhibition, from the main breeds that are raised in Argentina: Criolla, Árabe, Cuarto de Milla, Polo Argentino, Silla Argentino, Tiro Argentino, Percherón, Petiso, Peruano de Paso, Appaloosa, Paint Horse and Pura Raza Española.
The program of activities of "Nuestros Caballos" will include a variety of attractions, such as:

• Show Jumping competitions
• American Horse Ball Cup "Nuestros Caballos 2011"
• Indoor polo exhibitions
• Dressage Exhibition
• Argentine Final of the "Golden Gag Bit" of "Criollo" breed.
• Election of the national champions from the different breeds
• Equine Therapy Exhibitions
• Auctions of animals and antique carriages
• Breed exhibitions
• Loose jumping National Championship
• National Rodeo Championship
• Joint exhibition "Nuestros Perros" (Our Dogs).

There will be a sector specially designed for children, where they will be able to take their first steps in horse back riding and have fun at the recreational area called "Los Potrillitos" (The little foals), with activities specially designed for toddlers and small kids.
"Nuestros Caballos" will also be the venue for the "4th International Journey on Equine Therapy", where outstanding specialists will lecture on the latest news on this important therapeutic method.

Location: La Rural Exhibition Center. Av. Sarmiento 2704
Dates: April 5 - 10, 2011
Opening hours 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM

More information: Nuestros Caballos official website

Malba - Fundación Costantini opens its 2011 exhibition schedule with "Modern papers. From Toulouse-Lautrec to Picasso", a selection of 85 works on paper, from the Collection of the National Museum of Fine Arts (MNBA), that will be exhibited from March 18th to May 23rd, 2011.

Organized as part of the celebrations for tenth anniversary of Malba, the aim of the exhibition is to put to value some of the works on paper by the European School belonging to the MNBA, which have not been exhibited as a whole for more than three decades, and highlight the importance of paper in the artistic production of modern artists from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The exhibition features drawings and prints made from the second half of the nineteenth century by European artists such as Honoré Daumier and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, to works from the mid-twentieth century by Carlo Carrà, José Gutiérrez Solana, Federico García Lorca and Giorgio de Chirico. Also included are works on paper by figures from the School of Paris such as Amedeo Modigliani, Marc Chagall and André Lhote, and independent artists as James Ensor, Georges Rouault, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Käthe Kollwitz, Georges Braque, Paul Klee, among others.

MALBA - Latin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires. Avda. Figueroa Alcorta 3415 

Hours:
Thursday through Monday and Holidays: from 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Wednesday till 9:00 pm.
Closed Tuesday.
Admission:
Adults: AR$22. Teachers and Seniors: AR$11. Students: AR$11. Children under 5: Free.
Wednesdays: General: $10. Teachers and Seniors: $5. Students: Free.