In Buenos Aires, Stern made portraits of the Argentine and émigré artists and intellectuals she encountered. Shot in her signature style against stark backgrounds, eschewing the dramatic lighting that was in vogue for portraits at the time, and never retouched or edited, these images focus for the most part on the sitter’s face, leading the poet María Elena Walsh (also one of Stern’s sitters) to dub her portraits “facial nudes.” Stern showed her subjects’ true appearances, caught between conscious poses and involuntary expressions. Portraits of painters Antonio Berni and Lino Eneas Spilimbergo, shot in their studios, point to Stern’s quick acceptance into established Argentine art circles.