The renowned Ruth Benzacar Gallery is turning 50, and coinciding with the anniversary the gallery inaugurated its magnificent new space—designed by architect Nicolás Fernández Sanz—with a show of works by Liliana Porter, the same artist who was exhibiting at the San Martín Square site when the unforgettable Ruth Benzacar passed away, in May of 2000. Here, the gallery's administrative offices are hidden above the main exhibition area, which is bathed by the natural light provided by a large skylight overhead. The gallery includes a kiosk (yes, like those where Buenos Aires citizens purchase their newspapers) with publications from the Tijuana international publishing project, which offers artist books and art objects, as well as mezzanines, lounges, and warehousing spaces. Synonymous with the best Argentinean art production of the era, Ruth Benzacar Gallery understood early on that a connection with the broader international scene is essential to support the fragile commercial architecture of the local market; Ruth knew well Argentina's singular and paradoxical cultural context, which produces better artists than collectors. The beginnings of the gallery were haphazard; faced with unbalanced household finances, Ruth found herself selling some of the artworks she had collected with her husband. Later, she decided to launch into an open-ended adventure in the field. With the presentation of a single painting and the presence of dozens of friends and acquaintances, she launched her unusual project in 1965, in her own home. She soon decided that her métier wasn't really to just sell what she owned, but to fully participate in the business, learning its ins and outs as she went along. After a few years during which she came to realize the depths of her new occupation, Ruth dreamed up a new role for herself, designed a program, and fought to bring it to fruition. After using her Recoleta home as a hushed exhibition space—and not only because the local homeowner's association didn't approve, but also because those were the years of greatest repression under the country's last military dictatorship—she found an investor and opened the gallery that carried her name. It was 1983, and the winds of democracy were blowing in the country, when she opened her space in an ample basement in Florida, under San Martín Square. Benzacar fought intensely, and patiently, for her artists in international auctions and forums. She argued in favor of Argentinean art with uncommon determination and a unique style. Art marchands know that, whatever their own feelings, they are not in the market to satisfy people's basic needs. Ruth Benzacar's exhibition space, now in the Villa Crespo neighborhood, is a mandatory stop for anyone interested in the local visual arts. In a country accustomed to truncated projects, it is good to know that the structure of Ruth Benzacar Gallery remains intact, with Orly Benzacar, the founder's daughter, and Mora Bacal, her granddaughter, at the helm. They manage the gallery with the same vision, but a new strategy. With a different style but identical passion, the directors carry forward and renew the work initiated by the legendary Ruth Benzacar. They know that the gallery's prestige is connected to that of artists like Leandro Erlich, Jorge Macchi, Adrián Villar Rojas, or Eduardo Basualdo, constantly invited to participate in events and biennials of great international visibility.