The Cervantes Institute will promote the work of Walsh and Facio throughout the world.

The María Elena Walsh-Sara Facio Foundation , the Cervantes Institute , and the City Government signed a letter of intent to carry out joint actions to promote and disseminate the work of these two icons of Argentine culture throughout the world.

As part of #LuisGarcíaMontero 's working trip to #BuenosAires , the director of the Cervantes Institute has also signed a letter of intent with the @WalshFacio Foundation. In October, our #CajadelasLetras will receive a legacy from both Argentine artists.ℹ️ https://t.co/ak3UOxjuMo pic.twitter.com/2UYhHcSQBW

— Instituto Cervantes (@InstCervantes) May 9, 2025

The agreement was signed this Friday at the María Elena Walsh-Sara Facio Foundation studio (Paraguay 1480, Buenos Aires City), where the deceased artists, who had a romantic relationship for more than 40 years, shared their workplace, which has now been converted into a cultural space.

The event was attended by officials from the Buenos Aires government, the president of the María Elena Walsh-Sara Facio Foundation, Graciela García Romero , and the director of the Cervantes Institute, Luis García Montero , who arrived in the country along with other authorities from the Spanish organization to carry out other activities, including the launch of a book about Borges and Pope Francis and Jorge Luis Borges this Saturday at the Book Fair .

This joint initiative is part of the ongoing work with children and in a particularly significant year marked by the emerging dialogue between the academic world and the Foundation to address the key aspects of the work of María Elena Walsh (1930-2011) , popularly known for her children's songs and similar literary works. She is also considered one of the One Hundred Great Latin American Women.

Also, that of Sara Facio (1932-2024) , one of the greatest exponents of photography in Argentina and Latin America . With her lens, she managed to immortalize the images of two notable Argentine writers: Julio Cortázar - with whom she maintained a great friendship in Paris - and Jorge Luis Borges, among numerous portraits. In addition, she recorded all kinds of images of the City, the activity in the neighborhoods, and a variety of landscapes that remain in the memories of the Argentines. Her work has been exhibited in major cities around the world.

The Cervantes Institute is a public institution created by the Spanish government in 1991 to promote the study and teaching of the Spanish language and the dissemination of Hispanic cultures throughout the world. With a presence in more than 100 cities in 54 countries and main offices in Madrid and Alcalá de Henares, it fosters cultural exchange, dialogue between languages, and the international promotion of literary, artistic, and heritage works from the Spanish-speaking world.

" We couldn't be happier to be celebrating today this communion of institutions that do so much to preserve and disseminate the legacy of our great artists in our language, those who have known how to interpret, understand, and transcend linguistic borders through language," said the City's Minister of Culture, Gabriela Ricardes, at a press conference.

“ The work that the Walsh-Facio Foundation does is wonderful . It's a pleasure to always be with them. That's what our organizations are for, to be able to collaborate on these projects that can't be achieved alone, and where support isn't necessarily just financial; it also involves coordinating everything necessary to make things happen,” added the Buenos Aires Minister of Culture.

The signing of this institutional agreement is significant for the cultural legacy of both artists, highlighting their work outside of Argentina. It will materialize in October of this year through a large-scale ceremony to be held in Madrid, Spain.

"We're embarking on a new path that involves recognizing this foundation's heritage outside our city , our country, because it truly is a world heritage site. It's good to begin this journey," Ricardes concluded.

Then came the words of Luis García Montero , who referred as a poet and also as director of the Cervantes to the work of Walsh and Facio.

"I am a poet, a reader of a wonderful poet, of the Latin American boom, and of someone who has experienced the Latin American boom, the face of Cortázar, the life of Borges, and so many people through a wonderful photographer ," said the director of the Cervantes Institute.

He also added: “ At the Cervantes Institute, we like to say again and again that a language is much more than a vocabulary , that words are full of the social and cultural values ​​that we are interested in defending.”

She also referred to the work of María Elena Walsh and Sara Facio: “ I was moved by their photographs . It's the story of two women, each of whom had undeniable quality in their profession, and which at the same time allows us to develop a culture where respect for women, diversity, and the values ​​that should shape a democratic culture are at the forefront. This allows us to look to the past, to see the best of Argentine literature, and to see the dialogue that exists between Spanish and Argentine culture .”

In that sense, " We are very proud when we say that Spaniards represent 9% of a language spoken by 500 million native speakers . Our proposal at Cervantes is to raise awareness of the importance not of a single country but of a community made up of more than 500 million native speakers," said García Montero.

Following the signing of this agreement, the Instituto Cervantes intends to exhibit the work of María Elena Walsh and Sara Facio around the world in Madrid, New York, and Buenos Aires, among other cities.

"We're going to hold a photography exhibition in the United States. The Cervantes Institute in New York collaborates with the International Photography Festival, and an exhibition can be scheduled there for future editions. And, of course, we'll also have an exhibition of both in Madrid at the headquarters of the Cervantes Institute. It will be a luxury and a marvel for us," said García Montero.

Indeed, the idea at the Cervantes Institute is to add the works of Walsh and Facio to its collection . “We have them there in our Caja de las Letras (Box of Letters). We believe that the best way to commit to the future is to carefully choose the inheritances we receive from the past. There, we have cultural legacies as diverse as those of Juan Gelman, Les Luthiers, and Alejandra Pizarnik. In that sense, having a legacy from María Elena Walsh will be very important for us ,” he explained.

On the other hand, the Instituto Cervantes has an international network of 70 libraries around the world . "There's a library in Paris called Octavio Paz, and another in New York called Jorge Luis Borges. I'm committed to the first option, and when we open a library, I'm going to propose calling it María Elena Walsh," García Montero stated.

Finally, the words of Graciela García Romero , president of the María Elena Walsh-Sara Facio Foundation: "I am happy. I could assure you by saying that María Elena and Sara would be very happy with this invitation because they had a conscience of country above all , of the importance of the culture of our country. Both promoted all the other representatives of culture, all the artists Sarita the photographers and María Elena the poets and artists."

The president of the María Elena Walsh-Sara Facio Foundation also referred to the organization's name in honor of the two great Argentine artists, also a couple in real life.

"Why is it named after both of them? It's something people misinterpreted: Sari and María Elena were a couple for 40 years. But, above all, they were two independent artists . Each with her own career. Each was very defined; neither influenced nor interfered with the other's career," García Romero began.

And she continued: “When Sara was thinking about creating this Foundation in honor of María Elena, it occurred to us that Sara Facio's name could also be included. Sara refused for a long time: she was very serious, her concerns very deep, and she felt it was invading María Elena's territory. That's why she didn't want to do it, but we convinced her unanimously, and she agreed; she only asked that we announce it when she wasn't there. When we presented the book on feminism, I told her, 'Sarita, I think the time has come,'” recalled the head of the Walsh-Facio Foundation.

"I'm telling this story because they both have a certain strength, a power, and a seriousness as artists that deserve to be seen separately . In fact, while there are some photos where they both appear, we always present each one separately," García Romero concluded.

Following the signing in Buenos Aires, the City Government, the María Elena Walsh-Sara Facio Foundation, and the Cervantes Institute will sign a "more formal" agreement in October in Madrid . "For us, in the city of Buenos Aires, we breathe and live culture, and that's what we want: for it to be known around the world, for it to be shared, and for our artists to be known," the Buenos Aires organization announced.

“Our main objective—as we conveyed to the Minister of Culture, the Mayor of Buenos Aires, the previous Mayor, and the previous Minister of Culture—is the need to have a Walsh-Facio cultural center that can house both funds, both collections, and the heritage of both, with the coverage that the State would provide us, but above all, with a great cultural activity for children, adolescents, and adults . We hope they listen to us,” revealed the Foundation's president.

“Sarita exhibited her work all over the world, in Paris, at the Pompidou, in the United States, and also in Rome, where the Argentine embassy is located—one of its rooms bears her name—and in Japan,” García Romero said. “She was proud to promote other photographers like Marcos López and Adriana Lestido ,” she concluded.