Buenos Aires MOA workshop celebrates 70 years of monument restoration

The Monumentos y Obras de Arte (MOA) workshop, known as the ‘Hospital de las Estatuas’ (Hospital of Statues), celebrated its 70th anniversary with a special event titled ‘Monumentos bajo las Estrellas’. The event drew more than 7,000 visitors to the facility located in Plaza Sicilia within the Tres de Febrero Park in Palermo.

As the only public workshop of its kind in Argentina, the MOA is responsible for the restoration, cleaning, and preservation of over 2,200 sculptural pieces, including monuments, commemorative plaques, and decorative urns across Buenos Aires. The workshop manages works damaged by time or vandalism, receiving approximately twenty reports of vandalism per month, primarily in the Palermo and Recoleta neighborhoods.

During the anniversary event, visitors toured the sculpture courtyard to view works in progress, such as ‘Heracles, el arquero’ by Émile Antoine Bourdelle and ‘La Duda’ by Charles Cordier. The facility itself holds historical significance, having served as housing for staff at the estate of Juan Manuel de Rosas between 1835 and 1854.