Roundup: Art Bookstores in Buenos Aires

Books and bookstores have always played an important part in the development of culture in Buenos Aires. From the classic stores on Avenida Corrientes, all the way through the smallest barrio shops, porteños not only sought out their favorite writers, but also transformed the bookstores into meeting points, places to spend their free time and sometimes, to also buy books.

The city has always had countless bookshops and maintains a special love for antique books and historical shops. Still, however huge, Buenos Aires’ multitudinous tradition of librerías has always lacked quality art bookstores. Luckily, in the last few years, this void is being filled by a handfull of places that carry on their shelves some of the most interesting publications from the contemporary local and international art scene. Here’s an abbreviated selection.

Asunto Impreso

With more than 20 years experience, two shops, a gallery, and a publishing house, Asunto Impreso has become one of the key locations to find art books in Buenos Aires. The original shop, situated in Pasaje Rivarola 115, a marvelous, one-street long oasis in the heart of the city center, functions as a book distributor and headquarters of La Marca, an independent publisher specializing in art, photography, essays and poetry books.

Three years ago another bigger Asunto Impreso opened in San Telmo’s tourist district. This new store also includes an art gallery with monthly book-related exhibits. Its second name being Bookstore of the Image, Asunto Impreso in San Telmo focuses on both imported and Argentine contemporary art and photography books. Everything is represented: From the locally produced collections like Fotógrafos Argentinos from Dilan Editores, the object books from Clase Turista , the photo magazine Dulce X Negra, through the art books from Ediciones Larivière and their own flip-books from Cine DD2 and 12na. In addition, Asunto Impreso also carries a large selection of books about Argentine architecture, native jewelry and claims to stock all the new comics produced here. Children illustrated books also grace the shelves, such as the lovely new collection, Pípala from Adriana Hildalgo.

Pasaje Rivarola 115, Buenos Aires, Argentina (Centro)
Monday through Friday 10 AM – 7 PM
libreria at asuntoimpreso dot com

Perú 1064, Buenos Aires, Argentina (San Telmo)
Wednesday through Sunday 1 PM – 9 PM
santelmo at asuntoimpreso dot com

Rayo Rojo & Rayo Negro

Alternative bookstore Rayo Rojo found its perfect location in the basement of Bond Street — an old commercial gallery that since the early 90s has become the meeting point for all the young punks, skaters, rockabilly boys and girls, Barrio-Norte rappers, heavy metal fans, emos, and all the other teenage tribes that flourish in Buenos Aires. Rayo Rojo pleases not only those juvenile appetites but those of all art lovers. Founded 18 years ago by Eduardo Orenstein, one of the biggest cinema-poster collectors in Argentina, the shop’s broad catalogue features everything from contemporary art to freak-monster shows. Illustration and comics have always been specialties as has been publications spreading alternative eroticisms, sexualities and lifestyles. Film books abound amidst the unique vintage posters that cover the walls. All the posters are for sale. Search part of their online catalogue here.

Small, independent, local publishing companies distributing poetry booklets find their ideal home here next to dozens of different fanzines and comic books in the vernacular. Survey the newest publications in tattoo design before getting it under your skin in one of the several tattoo parlors that crowd the rest of Bond Street. If your interest lies in mainstream superhero comics from companies like DC, then the place you want is Rojo’s little-sister shop, Rayo Negro, situated just a few meters away in the same corridor.

Av. Santa Fé 1670, Buenos Aires, Argentina Basement, Shop #20-22, Bond Street
Monday – Saturday, 11 AM – 8 PM
rayorojo at pccp dot com dot ar

Cobra Libros

In the geographical center of the city, two blocks away from Caballito’s  Parque Centenario, hides this little gem of a bookstore. Cobra Libros is also an art gallery, a cinema, a musical venue and last but not least, a library. Baptized Cobra, in a nod to both  Severos Sarduy’s marvelous novel and to the avant-garde movement of the  same name, this little shop sells not only art publications, antique or sold-out books, but also rents them. For a small fee you can borrow one item at a time for as long as a month, and believe me, there are things you won’t get in any other library nor mainstream bookstore.

Opened in 2008 by a group of friends, fans themselves of rare and difficult-to-find editions, the store features art, photography, film, theatre, literature and philosophy books mixed with handcrafted fanzines produced by Cobra and others such as Big Sur and independent publications from Planta Editora. Quality is assured because Cobra Libros only stocks stuff that they really like.

Besides regularly exhibiting artists’ works in the window and on the inner walls, Cobra Libros gives book-binding workshops, hosts poetry lectures or performances and on Sundays, projects movies with a special focus on the experimental avant-garde. Bands play there, as well. This spring and summer the shop is even renting bikes for visitors to tour around the neighboring parks! Cobra Libros is a whole mini cultural center in one room.

Aranguren 150, Buenos Aires. Argentina (Caballito)
Thursday – Sunday, 4 – 8 PM
Cobra Libros’ flickr photostream
info at cobralibros dot com dot ar

Purr Libros

In Galería Patio del Liceo, a 1920s building that for more than half a century hosted a girls-only high school and now has become one of the central nodes in the contemporary BA art scene, Purr finds its unique place in a unique space. Before other art galleries, designers, artists’ ateliers and fashion creators moved into the Galería, designer Nicolás Barraza and photographer Marina Alessio founded Mite, an art gallery where they could show their favorite artists. Not long after, in an empty shop next door, they decided to open Purr. Purr is small but forcefully fills not only the emptiness of the arcade but the reading needs of local artists.

Purr makes clever international selections — magazines like Here and there, Capricious and the homoerotic Butt from NYC — and also offers fair prices for imported books from big international publishing houses like Phaidon and the smaller Swiss Nieves. The bookstore doesn’t forget local independent fanzines and artists’ books, either, but stocks several titles with a focus on contemporary art and photography. In addition to carrying music-related publications, Purr has added to their shelves an interesting selection of vinyl LPs. Purr loves modern art-rock bands such as  Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Sonic Youth. The latter is a personal favorite of the house: The shop’s name comes from the homonymous Youth song.

Purr regularly hosts book presentations, uses the walls to display art and together with gallery Mite, mounts art fairs like  Shooping where one can buy small-sized artworks for AR $300.

Av. Santa Fe 2729, Galería Patio del Liceo, Upstairs, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Open Tuesday – Friday, 12 – 8 PM
Saturday, 2 – 8 PM
hola at purrlibros dot com

Fundación Proa

In the heart of colorful  La Boca, The Proa Foundation remains one of Buenos Aires’ most important cultural institutions. Similarly, the foundation’s bookstore is one of the biggest and well-stocked of its kind in the city. Opened in November of 2008 when the building re-inaugurated its new architecture, this wide-open space filled with large tables and aluminum chairs functions as a library for consultations and as a shop for buying the latest in art, essays and literature.

The bookstore sells all its catalogs and publications on Argentine, Latin American and international art exhibitions since its opening in 1996 as well as books and publications from independent and alternative publishing houses like Eloisa Cartonera or Cuenco de Plata.

The shop regularly hosts Proa-exhibiting artists in the form of interventions — site-specific installations by important young, local creators, such as the current one from Lucio Dorr.

Av. Pedro de Mendoza 1929, Buenos Aires, Argentina (La Boca, Caminito)
Tuesday – Sunday, 11 AM – 7 PM
Closed Monday
libreria at proa dot org

Tienda Malba

The entrance hall of the Museum of Latin American Art (Malba) hosts both a bookstore and a trendy design shop. The book section of the dual-purpose shop offers all of Malba’s exhibition catalogs and publications, the complete catalog of the Constantini Foundation along with an extensive selection of international publications whose topics cover contemporary art, photography, architecture, design, theory and cinema. Recently, the bookstore has added a DVD section with some of the newest and brightest Argentine filmmakers.

The design store presents lamps, bags, vases, accessories and jewelry with an arty touch and every month showcases the work of different designers from Latin America in a kind of mini-exhibition of their creations.

A new editorial project called El hilo de Ariadna will publish a series of book-objects, seeking to make available to a wider public “symbolic jewels of humanity”. The first publication will be a facsimile edition of the infamous Red Book by Carl Gustav Jung at the bargain price of AR $980!

Avenida Figueroa Alcorta 3415, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Thursday – Monday and Holidays, 12 – 8 PM
Discounted entry on Wednesday, 12 – 9 PM
Closed Tuesday

Text and photographs by Ariel Authier