Eduardo Costantini received the country's most important cultural distinction.

As the sunset turned from red to blue, businessman and art collector Eduardo Costantini was honored this evening in the dome of the Palacio Libertad with the country's most important cultural recognition: the National Secretary of Culture, Leonardo Cifelli , presented him with the distinction of Emeritus Personality . "I receive it as a collective distinction," said the founder of Malba .

Cifelli reviewed the businessman's professional achievements . "This isn't just another recognition on our country's cultural agenda," he clarified, "but rather a gesture of gratitude toward someone who has managed to turn his passions and vision into an invaluable legacy for all Argentines."

"Eduardo is a man of many facets who has always demonstrated that economic success and cultural sensitivity are not separate paths , but can and should coexist," added Cifelli, who considered that "his name is synonymous with the Malba Museum. That house that for almost 25 years has established itself as the most important museum of Latin American art in the world."

Cifelli, true to his ideology, emphasized that the spirit "we celebrate today is that of a person who didn't wait for the State to help , but rather decided to invest in culture, create a future, and multiply possibilities." Therefore, he emphasized: "Progress arises when free people decide to commit to their community."

And he concluded: “It's not about collecting immediate applause, but about leaving a deep mark. As Secretary of Culture, I also want to emphasize something essential. People like Eduardo, and many of those with us today, make Argentina a better place for future generations .”

Costantini has previously received numerous important awards : the Konex Award in 2008; several others related to his work as an entrepreneur; the International Patronage Award from the Callia Foundation in Spain; the Collecting Award in 2023, granted by the Board of Directors of the arteba Foundation; and the "A" Award for Collecting in 2016, presented by the ARCO Foundation, also in Madrid. Overall, this distinction is the most significant awarded by the National Culture Department.

After the screening of a biographical video that reviewed the development of his relationship with art, the strategic development of his collection, and the creation of Malba, Costantini spoke with journalist and writer Matilde Sánchez, director of Ñ magazine for more than a decade.

During that interview, he announced that Malba will review its permanent collection in preparation for the museum's 25th anniversary , which will be commemorated next year. He noted that the institution has over a thousand works and announced that he hopes to move forward with the expansion of the building over the adjacent plaza , creating new rooms and auditoriums to expand its activities.

Regarding the beginnings of Malba and the drive to socialize the impressive collection of Latin American art that gave it its start, Costantini recalled that " human beings have a social dimension , and when any project, no matter how large it may be, is installed in that dimension, it vibrates at a totally different frequency ."

The businessman said that some of that sentiment comes from his mother . "I think I learned that from my mother. She gave her time to social programs and assistance work, and I think I absorbed that way of thinking," he recalled. He asserted that he believes life is a construction that should be able to be read like an artist's retrospective: "When you do a retrospective, you see the work from a young age and that work matures, so that, if it's a good artist, it has sustained itself over time. So, I try to imitate that ."

Costantini remembered his mentor Ricardo Esteves , after whom the Permanent Collection Room was named, "in recognition of his ongoing and persistent essential role in the formation of the Malba Collection," the museum announced last year, shortly before the expert's death. Tonight, the businessman's voice broke as he recalled his work.

"My project went from minor to major. As my financial situation improved and I met my mentor Ricardo Esteves, he taught me how to shop, and I became a disciplined student ," he said with tears in his eyes.

Costantini announced that almost all of the works in his personal collection, which had been purchased abroad, were in the country thanks to a change in regulations, and that they "will be articulated with the Malba collection. Next year, Rodrigo Moura, the new director of the museum, will curate the permanent collection again, and for the anniversary we will display it on both floors of the building ," he said.

He also said he is working on developing a system for the museum's future sustainability , so that it can sustain the current $4 million deficit at both locations over the next decade and a half, until a mechanism is found that will allow it to eliminate the need for that financial support.

In front of his family, including his wife, Elina; his children, grandchildren, and siblings; as well as friends, artists, gallery owners, and members of the extended family of the Museum of Latin American Art, Costantini received the award from the Secretary of Culture to close the ceremony , which was attended by Mirtha Legrand and Luis Brandoni, and will be followed by Palito Ortega and Aldo Sessa.