SUBSCRIBEAyala Museum. New
It was more than 10 years since I last went to the Ayala Museum in Makati. I was surprised and quite proud that the museum, still at the same location, but, man, with a new building, is really very beautiful, squeeky clean, and, shall I say, world class.
Entrance is 150 pesos (roughly $3) and its worth it. 4 floors of exhibit space devoted to:
1/F – arts (at the time of my visit)
- Marc Llimargas’ photo exhibit on Gaudi’s works entitled “Gaudi” as part of Instituto Cervantes’ Spanish Festival for Culture and the Arts
- an exhibit of Alexander Charriol’s paintings which were quite impressive and at the same time funny.
2/F – the dioramas that the museum is famed for which traces the history of the country from the prehistoric peopling of the Philippines, trade with other Asian nations, colonization by the Spaniards, eventual war and colonization with the Americans and Japanese, the birth of the republic to Ferdinand Marcos’ draconian clutches. It has scale models of maritime vessels like the galleon, caravel, chinese junk, and other water transport. Also notable are the various Philippine heroes and presidents, the foreign colonizers as well as Aetas (natives) shown lifesize indicating their height.
3/F – painting exhibit of Zobels, Amorsolos and Lunas
4/F – various exhibits
- Philippine costumes from the 19th century. Interesting pieces include the men’s trousers and hat made from carabao horn, shawls made of pineapple fiber and silk)
- prints of 19th century Filipino costumes attibuted to Damian Domingo from the New York Public Library and the museums’ collections
- Philippine art expressed in ivory from religious icons to family heirlooms. the exhibit also highlight the Philippines as the world’s major producer of Christian images in ivory from the 16th – 19th centuries.
This museum should be in every visitors’ as well as Filipinos’ must go to site.
