Botica del Ángel is a museum in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was originally an artistic venue created by the animator, painter, set designer, actor, and costume designer Eduardo Bergara Leumann in the Monserrat neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1966. It became a space where many prominent figures of the Argentine artistic scene, both nationally and internationally recognized, got their start or passed through.
History It was founded in 1966 as an alternative theater and exhibition space through the initiative of its creator and promoter, Eduardo Bergara Leumann, in a theatrical tailor shop at 670 Lima Street. It quickly established itself as an avant-garde alternative center, emerging alongside the Di Tella Institute.
The venue featured imagery and memorabilia, including items related to Jorge Luis Borges, Alfonsina Storni, Alejandra Pizarnik, Silvia and Mirtha Legrand, Eva Perón, Zully Moreno, Victoria Ocampo, José Gobello, and others. There are also works by great Argentine artists such as Antonio Berni, Josefina Robirosa, Guillermo Roux, Raúl Soldi, Edgardo Giménez, among others. The repertoire of its host and owner welcomed the musical debuts of figures like Pepe Cibrián Campoy, Susana Rinaldi, Nacha Guevara, Marikena Monti, Valeria Lynch, Horacio Molina, Marilina Ross, Cuarteto Zupay, and Leonardo Favio, along with the appearances or comebacks of figures in Argentine cultural and artistic life such as Libertad Lamarque, Niní Marshall, Alberto Castillo, Luisa Vehil, Manuel Mujica Lainez, Mecha Ortiz, and Tania. The atmosphere resembled that of a café-concert, and audiences often participated directly in performances and happenings organized by Eduardo Bergara Leumann.
According to theater critic Emilio Stevanovich, its characteristics around 1966 were:
La Botica del Ángel was also a television series for years on Channel 7. The show had a second run in the 1980s under the name La Botica del Tango on Channel 11.
The first Botica closed its doors due to the widening works on Avenida 9 de Julio, making way in 1969 for a second, larger venue—Templo del Ángel—located at 541 Luis Sáenz Peña Street, in an abandoned church that Bergara Leumann redecorated with paintings, objects, and various themed settings to turn it into his home, and later into a museum.
According to Bergara Leumann:
La Botica del Ángel is part of the cultural landmarks of the city of Buenos Aires. It features 33 rooms with various themed settings. Through a bequest in his will, it was left to the Universidad del Salvador with the condition that it remain open to the public. Guided tours are available.
References
External links Museo Botica del Ángel Official website on Universidad del Salvador. (in Spanish) La Botica del Ángel. Official information on the Government of the City of Buenos Aires website. (in Spanish)