Thursday, March 27, 2008

Ayala Museum

On a whim, I went to Ayala Museum at Greenbelt 4. I had gone to the old Ayala Museum near the current site many, many years ago and wondered how much different it was.

The first exhibit I saw had works of four Filipino artists: Damian Domingo, Fernando Amorsolo, Juan Luna and Fernando Zobel. Zobel seemed like a person I would have wanted to meet. A recreation of his studio made me want a studio with white walls and floors, and his sketches made me want to visit Cuenca, Spain.

The 60 dioramas made by Paete wood artists were still the same. I suppose there's a guide or a leaflet for schoolgroups, but having none, I was a bit lost. Perhaps the dioramas were meant to stand alone, like the catechism through art in cathedrals. But a foreigner would have missed the context because there were no explanations.

It's also interesting to know that I'm taller than Rizal and midway between Aguinaldo and Bonifacio. Of course, people were shorter in those days.

What I liked most: the boat gallery.

The biggest question for me is how to make the museum kid-friendly, which, given the sophisticated design and materials of the structure, is a real challenge.

2 comments:

  1. How do you rate the museum? Was it good? I've recently discovered my fondness for museums... I remember going to the Ayala Museum too maybe 15 years ago! And am looking at visiting it when I'm in Manila again this year or next. Is it worth it?

    PS. Thanks for dropping by my page while I was on a bit of a hiatus :) Check out my other one too! gorgeoustraveller.blogspot.com

    Have a nice tuesday!
    Cheers,
    Marie

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  2. if you still remember it, maybe not, especially if they charge you the overseas rate. :)

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