Museo Casa Carlos Gardel

Description:

• Carlos Gardel, the preeminent Argentine tango singer whose portraits you see all over the city and who is nicknamed Carlitos, bought this house in 1927 for his mother, with whom he lived when he was not traveling. The house dates from 1917 and, in keeping with tango history, it once served as a brothel. It served various functions after his mother's death in 1943 -- from a tailor shop to a tango parlor -- until it reopened as a museum in his honor on June 24, 2003, the 68th anniversary of his death in a plane crash in Colombia. Visitors will find articles about him from the time, original musical notes, contracts, portraits of his singing partner José Razzano, records and sheet music from the period, as well as some of his clothing, including his signature fedora. His kitchen, bathroom, and ironing room remain almost untouched from the time he lived here. Most tours are in Spanish, but there are some in English on a periodic basis. This small, out-of-the-way museum is a must-see not only for tango lovers, but also to understand this important man in Argentine history, whose work brought tango to the world. A favorite phrase in Buenos Aires is that Carlos sings better every day, meaning as time passes, his music, the most Porteño thing of all, becomes more and more important to Argentines.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2010