The Exposición Internacional del Centenario (Centennial International Exposition) was an exhibition held between May and November 1910 in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, to commemorate the

Centennial {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at ...

of the

May Revolution The May Revolution ( es, Revolución de Mayo) was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the terri ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

(the formation of the first local government on May 25, 1810). With a population of around 1.2 million, Buenos Aires was then the largest urban complex in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

, the eighth city in the world, and one of the richest. As the capital city and main port of the young Argentine Republic at the height of its economic expansion, the city was growing rapidly with the successive waves of European immigration.

Summary

A total of 20 pavilions were built specially for the exhibition.El único pabellón que quedó del festejo del Centenario, olvidado y en mal estado
''Clarín'', 28 Jan 2010 A number of young Italian architects, including

Virginio Colombo Virginio Colombo (1884–1927) was a prolific Italian architect later active in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Biography Born in 1884 in Milan, Italy, Colombo studied architecture in the Brera Academy under Giuseppe Sommaruga, the city's leading exponen ...

Francisco Gianotti Francesco Gianotti (''Francisco'' in Spanish; April 4, 1881February 13, 1967) was an Italian architect who designed many important Art Nouveau buildings in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Born in 1881 in Lanzo, near Turin, Italy, he graduated as an arc ...

and

Mario Palanti Mario Palanti (September 20, 1885 – September 4, 1978) was an Italian architect who designed important buildings in the capital cities of both Argentina and Uruguay. Life and career Born in 1885 in Milan, Italy, the brother of painter Gius ...

who designed the Italian pavilion, went on to establish successful careers in Buenos Aires working in a number of styles, including Art Nouveau. Their buildings were some of the most important of the 20th century in Buenos Aires and those that remain continue to play a significant role in defining the city's architectural landscape. Each pavilion feature a different theme, such as: * Agriculture and Cattle Raising – Organised by the Sociedad Rural Argentina, this was housed in a pavilion within the organisation's house in

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

. It and contained an exhibition of agricultural activities and products from various parts of the country. * Industry – This was located on what today is Del Libertador Avenue near El Rosedal, and featured industrial machinery much of which had never been seen before in Argentina. The only major pavilion still standing from any of the expositions is the Postal Service Pavilion from the Industrial Exhibition. * Railways and Overland Transport – An exhibition of the latest automobiles from Europe, yachts, aeroplanes, railway locomotives, carriages and wagons. The pavilion, designed by Italian architect Virginio Colombo, was located near the Hipódromo de Palermo. It was the most attended exhibition. * Hygiene - this was located on the Unzué Residence gardens, now occupied by the

Argentine National Library The Mariano Moreno National Library ( es, Biblioteca Nacional Mariano Moreno) is the largest national library, library in Argentina. It is located in the barrio of Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Recoleta in Buenos Aires. The library is named after Marian ...

. * Fine Arts - this was located in the "Argentine Pavilion", a steel structure covered in ceramics and multi-coloured glass designed by French architect

Albert Ballu Albert Ballu (1 June 1849 - 3 November 1939) was a French architect. He designed many buildings in French Algeria, including the Cathédrale du Sacré-Cœur d'Oran. Education and early career Albert Ballu was the son of an architect, Théodore ...

for the 1889 Exposition Universelle of Paris, where it stood next to the newly built

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; french: links=yes, tour Eiffel ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Locally nicknamed "'' ...

. By 1910 the pavilion had been relocated in Plaza San Martín, opposite the

Plaza Hotel The Plaza Hotel (also known as The Plaza) is a luxury hotel and condominium apartment building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the western side of Grand Army Plaza, after which it is named, just west of Fifth Avenue, a ...

. The pavilion would be dismantled in 1933.Exposiciones históricas en la Argentina III. De la Exposición Internacional del Centenario (1910) a la creación del Salón Nacional (1911)
by Gutiérrez Viñuales, Rodrigo, May 2005, Universidad de Granada website In addition there were pavilions for several of the Argentine provinces, including Córdoba, Mendoza, Salta, Jujuy and Tucumán, and for countries including Spain, Italy, Germany, England, Switzerland, Austro-Hungarian Empire and Paraguay. The

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

style played an important role in the designs of many of the buildings.

Gallery

File:Buenos Aires - Pabellón Argentino de la Exposición Universal de París en Plaza San Martín.JPG, The Argentine Pavilion at the Fine Arts Exhibition File:Expo centenario ferrocarriles 3.jpg, Railway exhibition pavilion File:Expo centenario pabellon alemania.jpg, Germany pavilion File:Expo centenario pabellon italia.jpg, Italy pavilion File:Pabellón del Paraguay en la Exposición del Centenario Argentino (1910).jpg, Paraguay pavilion File:Expo centenario pabellon serv postal.jpg, Argentine post office pavilion File:Globos Exposición del Centenario Argentina.jpg, Balloons race File:Centenario Argentina 1910 HD.png, Advertising illustration by Adriano Minardi

Bibliography

* Mimi Böhm, ''Buenos Aires, Art Nouveau'', Ediciones Xavier Verstraeten, Buenos Aires, 2005.
El pasado en imágenes. La exposición internacional del Centenario. Ferrocarriles y Transportes Terrestres
''Ciencia Hoy'' magazine

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Exposicion Internacional del Centenario (1910) History of Argentina (1880–1916) History of Buenos Aires World's fairs in Argentina 1910 in Argentina Art Nouveau architecture in Buenos Aires Buildings and structures completed in 1910 1910s in Buenos Aires 1910 festivals Events in Buenos Aires

Summary

Gallery

See also

Bibliography

References