Doris Salcedo and the museum collection milestone at Malba
Published on 08/27/2026 at 12:14 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Doris Salcedo enters the collection of Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (Malba) with emblematic works from the 1990s and 2000s. Arte Al Dia reports that these sculptures form part of the Daros Latinamerica Collection acquired by Malba, announced on December 16, 2025. The move substantially strengthens Malba’s holdings of contemporary Latin American art, even though no new public Salcedo event falls in the current 30-day window.
Salcedo’s works in Malba’s collection
The Daros Latinamerica Collection acquisition brings 1,233 works by 117 artists into Malba and the private collection of its founder Eduardo F. Costantini, nearly doubling their combined holdings to about 3,000 works. Emblematic works by Doris Salcedo from the 1990s and 2000s mark her first inclusion in the museum’s collection, alongside pieces by Carlos Cruz-Diez and Jesús Rafael Soto.
Malba emphasizes that the Daros holdings broaden its geographic scope, deepening representation of Colombia and Cuba while expanding to additional Latin American countries. In this context, Salcedo’s sculptures sit within a strengthened field of installation, photography and video that reflects the museum’s ambition to serve as a research resource for contemporary art of the region.
Museum & collection context for Doris Salcedo
Doris Salcedo’s work has entered several major public collections over the past decades, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid, where exhibitions such as Doris Salcedo and Plegaria Muda have underscored her institutional standing. Her inclusion in Malba extends this presence in Latin America and connects her practice to broader debates on memory and violence in the region.
Previous retrospectives like Doris Salcedo at the Guggenheim and the traveling show organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago have helped consolidate her museum profile as a sculptor and installation artist whose work is frequently collected for its conceptual rigor and historical engagement. Against this backdrop, Malba’s acquisition can be read as part of an institutional pattern that recognizes the long-term relevance of her sculptural investigations.
All news and background on Doris Salcedo
For further coverage of Doris Salcedo’s exhibitions, collections and awards, the AD HOC NEWS archive offers continuously updated reports and analyses.
The work core in public collections
Doris Salcedo is known for sculptures and installations that respond to testimonies of victims and survivors of political violence, especially in Colombia. Works like the floor fissure Shibboleth at Tate Modern and the installation group The Materiality of Mourning at Harvard Art Museums exemplify her focus on absence, mourning and the material traces of trauma.
Her practice often involves everyday furniture, textiles and architectural elements transformed into memorials for individuals who have disappeared or suffered violence. These works have entered major collections in Europe and North America, contributing to a museum-based discourse on how art can function as a counter-monument in contested historical spaces.
Current state of the work
Overall, Doris Salcedo’s museum presence continues to be anchored by past acquisitions and exhibitions, with no officially announced new museum date in the immediate 30-day window.
Key facts on Doris Salcedo
- Artist: Doris Salcedo
- Medium / Genre: Sculpture and installation (conceptual)
- Born: 1958, Bogotá, Colombia
- Place(s) of practice: Studio in Bogotá, Colombia
- Active since: Early 1990s, with major institutional exhibitions from mid-1990s onward
- Key work groups: Unland, Atrabiliaros, Shibboleth, Uprooted
- Current/last exhibition: Doris Salcedo retrospective, organized by Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and presented at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum New York, June 26 to October 12, 2015
- Major collections: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York), Museo Reina Sofía (Madrid), Perez Art Museum Miami (Miami), Malba - Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires)
- Awards: Nomura Art Award, 2019
- Next date: currently no announced date in the 30-day window
Frequently asked questions about Doris Salcedo
Which works by Doris Salcedo are now in Malba’s collection?
According to Arte Al Dia, emblematic works from the 1990s and 2000s by Doris Salcedo have entered Malba through the Daros Latinamerica Collection acquisition, marking her first inclusion in the Buenos Aires museum’s holdings.
In which major museums can Doris Salcedo’s work be found?
Salcedo’s sculptures and installations are held in institutions such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid, Perez Art Museum Miami and now Malba in Buenos Aires, reflecting broad international institutional recognition.
What defines Doris Salcedo’s artistic practice?
Doris Salcedo works with sculpture and installation that respond to testimonies of political violence, using materials like furniture, textiles and architectural elements to construct spaces of mourning and memory, as highlighted in exhibitions such as The Materiality of Mourning.
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
