Archival history: After the dancer's death, all her papers remained in the possession of her family. In 1988 her niece and heir made the donation.

Institutional history/biographical sketch: Antonia Mercé Luque, "La Argentina", was born in Buenos Aires in 1890. Starting from popular Spanish dance, beyond which many other dancers rarely ventured, she reconnected with the old Spanish bolero school and achieved a synthesis that was unequalled in her time. A truly international artist, admired both in Europe and America, she premiered numerous works by Spanish composers (including Albéniz, Granados, Falla, Joaquín Turina and Ernesto Halffter). In 1925 she starred in the Paris premiere of Manuel de Falla's "El amor brujo" in its definitive ballet version and, in the composer's opinion, was the best performer of the lead role. Until her death in Bayonne, France, on 18 July 1936, still in her prime, she was the most highly regarded Spanish artist in Spain and abroad.

Manner of acquisition: DONATION

Scope and Content: This collection consists of albums of press clippings, concert programmes, personal papers and photographs.

Evaluation, selection, removal: Given their historical interest, all the documents are to be preserved permanently, in accordance with Law 16/1985 of 25 June on Spanish Historical Heritage.

Conditions governing access: The documents are open to all.

Conditions governing reproduction: Reproduction is permitted for research and study purposes, subject to prior authorisation by the heirs.

Language/script(s) of the documents: The predominant language is Spanish, but there are also documents in English and French.

Physical characteristics and technical requirements: Most of the documents are in good condition.

Notes: The collection is digitized