‘X’ marks the spot: A field guide to museums in Manila

MANILA, Philippines - Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” might be thousands of miles away in the Musee d’Orsay but you can still get a taste of France, thanks to Juan Luna’s “The Parisian Life,” a masterpiece housed at the nearby National Museum. And it might be years before you get a chance to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York but tomorrow is as great a day as any to see the Metropolitan Museum of the Philippines on Roxas Boulevard.  Little did you know, a great museum or masterpiece is only a short car or jeepney ride away — so instead of cringing at yet another selfie on Instagram, why don’t you go see an actual portrait? (#nofilter, we promise.)

Young STAR asked prominent personalities in the contemporary Filipino art scene — mixed media artists Kawayan de Guia and Jose Tence Ruiz, sculptor Michael Cacnio, art critic Flaudette May Datuin and art adviser Miguel Rosales — for their favorite artworks and museums in the city. Even art aficionados like historian Ambeth Ocampo and Professor Feorillo Demetrio chimed in.

“Just as people have different tastes in food, they also have different tastes in art,” Cacnio says in Filipino.  Different museums house different exhibits, secrets and even horrors.  The Philippine capital is rich in culture and history; you just need to know where to look. You can get a headstart with Young STAR’s inside scoop on the city’s hidden (and not-so-hidden) treasures:

Ayala museum

Established: 1967

Greenbelt 5 might be your mall of choice but if you feel the urge to do something different this weekend, the Ayala Foundation offers an interesting alternative: the Ayala Museum, a stone’s throw away from the major hotels and shopping areas of Makati.  What started out as the late artist Fernando Zobel de Ayala y Montojo’s dream has since been become home to a diverse collection of historical and contemporary art, featuring noteworthy permanent exhibitions of rare Philippine garments and the paintings of Juan Luna, Fernando Amorsolo, and Fernando Zobel.

Don’t miss… Gold of Ancestors, an exhibition of 1,059 pre-colonial gold objects ranging from earrings and necklaces to the intricately crafted gold halter, the Sacred Thread. For the intensely detail-oriented, the exhibit also provides magnifying apparatus for you to scrutinize these pieces even more closely.

Take a photo of... your Diorama Experience. Ever played house with history? Ayala’s dioramas are carefully carved by Paete crafters, narrating 60 major events in Philippine history from prehistoric times to the first People Power Revolution. Also, the markings on the walls let you compare your height to those of our national heroes — you’ll be surprised at just how short Jose Rizal really was.

Fashion 101: Drop by the Embroidered Multiples of the 18th and 19th centuries on the fourth floor. The clothes, acquired from French diplomat Brejard, not only document the trends of the time but showcase just how truly intricate Filipino fashion is.

You can visit Ayala Museum from Tuesday to Sunday at varying hours. You can also call 757-7117 to 21 loc. 35 or e-mail museum_inquiry@ayalamuseum.org for more details.

UP Vargas museum

Established: 1987

Forget the DeLorean – travel back to the Commonwealth Era when you drop by the Vargas Museum.  Its namesake, Jorge B. Vargas, was an alumnus of the University of the Philippines and the country’s first Executive Secretary; he donated an astonishing collection of art, coins, books, photographs, and other memorabilia to his alma mater in 1978.  Kawayan de Guia commends the museum for exhibiting the works of young and adventurous artists alongside those of modern masters such as Félix Resurreccion Hidalgo and Victorio Edades.

Don’t miss... “The Vargas Museum Collection,” says Jose Tence Ruiz, “hints at works which were in the transition (1930s to 1950s) to the Modernism which we now sometimes take for granted.” The permanent exhibit juxtaposes masterpieces from Fernando Amorsolo, Vicente Manansala, and Guillermo Tolentino with works from modern artists like Mark Salvatus, Isabel Aquilizan and Cocoy Lumbao.

Take a photo with… Cian Dayrit’s Artefact X: A Narrative of Mystification and Demystification, a simultaneously amusing yet menacing sculpture of chicken feet right outside the museum — it is impossible to miss simply because of its sheer size.

Behind not-so-closed doors: Salvatus’s installation, Secret Garden II, is a garden designed and grown by the inmates of Quezon Provincial Jail.  The plants are fashioned from plastic, giving the concealed room a mystic glow.

You can visit the Vargas Museum between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday. Contact them through +63 928 1927 or +63 981 8500 loc. 4021, 4022 or 4024.

San Agustin museum

Established: 1973

San Agustin Museum comes straight from a Rizal novel.  Located in the historic district of Intramuros, it is a treasure trove of religious art, furniture and vestments from the Spanish colonial period.  Adjacent to the iconic San Agustin Church, the structure dates back to the 16th century and still exudes the Catholic Church’s former grandeur, especially as a patron of the arts.

Don’t miss... the Sala Refactoria, which holds the remains of not only Augustinians but the legendary Luna brothers (Juan and Antonio) and the Pardo de Taveras among other prominent families of old. The crypt, which is reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado,” is an invitation to all sorts of tall tales.

Take a photo with... The 3,400-kilogram iron cast bell. Like an old guard, the bell is the first thing that greets you upon entering the museum. It is certainly quite the survivor — it is more than a thousand years old and is still intact despite the earthquake that damaged its belfry.

Architectural eureka: Although located in the Church, the choir loft is not only surrounded wall to ceiling by intricate design but provides a striking view of the church’s interior.  â€œThe choir loft,” says Miguel Rosales, “is one of the most stunning achievements of the post-colonial era.”

You can visit San Agustin Museum from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. from Mondays to Saturdays. They can be contacted through (632) 527-4061.

National museum

Established: 1901

From anthropology to zoology, the National Museum has history and art covered from A to Z. Its walls have witnessed senate hearings and the inaugural ceremony of Manuel Quezon, president of the Philippine Commonwealth. It has three main branches — the Museum of the Filipino People, the National Art Gallery, and the Planetarium — but the current building of the Department of Tourism will soon be turned into the Museum of Natural History, an expansion that serves as a testament to the dynamic nature of Philippine art.

Don’t miss... the Anthropological Exhibit is a study of the pre-colonial Filipino. Showcasing both pre-Spanish fashion and weaponry such as the winged dagger of the Mandaya tribe, it reminds its viewers of who we once were — and how, maybe, we are still not that different.

Take a photo with... the “Spoliarium.” Juan Luna’s obra maestra is the biggest (and perhaps the grandest) painting in the country, perfectly representing the anguish felt by the Filipino people under Spanish rule. The piece won him a gold medal at the Madrid Art Exposition in 1884; Michael Cacnio notes that the praise Luna received in the international art scene has yet to be replicated by any other Filipino in history.

Pretty woman: Luna’s other work, “The Parisian Life,” is also being exhibited at the Government Social Insurance System (GSIS) Wing in the museum. The painting, which depicts a woman in the foreground and three men at a far table, is sometimes interpreted to subtly represent the abuse taking place in the Philippines. The piece won a medal at the controversial 1904 St. Louis Exposition.

You can visit the National Museum from Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph for more details.

Metropolitan museum of the Philippines

Established: 1976

Lovably known as the Met, Imelda Marcos’s pet project was originally intended to collect non-Philippine art. Today its exhibitions are more diverse, holding various pieces from pre-Hispanic artifacts to contemporary work from young artists.

Don’t miss... “The Philippine Contemporary: To Scale the Past and the Possible,” the newly permanent exhibit dedicated to modern art. A must-see recommended by de Guia and Professor Flaudette May Datuin, the exhibit makes use of video, comics, and other forms of new media apart from traditional paintings and sculptures.

Take a photo of... the “Three Buddha Mothers,” a sculpture by Agnes Arellano. The three women, who symbolize birth, life and death, can be found in the basement.

Stare wide-eyed… at “Tanaw 2013” at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and Tall Galleries. The exhibit, which will run until July, is a visual anthology of the winning works of this year’s Tanaw Art Competition.

You can visit the Metropolitan Museum between 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from Monday to Saturday. Call them at 708-7829 or e-mail info@metmuseum.ph.

Lopez memorial museum and library

Established: 1960

At Lopez, the past isn’t the only thing that’s present; today is too. “The work of old masters is tied up with new and brooding artists that I think the younger generation should take a look at,” de Guia says of its exhibits, which double as an archive and timeline for the country’s art history. While it starts out as a walk down memory lane, the road Lopez paves is still under construction, readying the art scene for the future of Philippine art.

Don’t miss… the library, which houses over 20,000 titles.  It’s a plus that it also has a premier restoration laboratory for works on paper, a huge help for bibliophiles and students with research obligations.

Keep your feet... “Grounded,” an ongoing exhibit that runs until August. It showcases both classic and contemporary art in a meeting of past and present. Apart from revisiting classics by Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo and Jose Joya, watch out for new medium in works like Toym Imao’s “Diyos, Choose, Duez” and Goldie Poblador’s “Ang Simula ng Pagsibol.”

Archaeological eureka: The museum houses artifacts unearthed from the Calatagan burial sites in Batangas. The excavation reveals items made of clay and others of Chinese, Annamese, and Siamese origins.

You can visit Lopez Museum between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Saturday. Contact them by calling 631-2425 or 631-2417, or tweet them through @Lopez_Muse.