It was a rainy Tuesday when we went to Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo, Philippines. Such a weather would have been ideal for a museum tour, normally an indoor activity. Pinto Art Museum, however, is not just an ordinary museum. It is a cluster of galleries sitting in more than an hectare of landscaped gardens, in the hills of Antipolo, overlooking the huge megalopolis that is Metro Manila. It is a place that begs to be explored, both inside and out. So armed with our umbrellas, we braved the rain, and was rewarded with the many charms around.
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The cozy cafe by the entrance is perfect for late breakfast...
or simply a good cup of coffee - a steaming one was just right for the weather that day. |
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The pouring rain almost stopped us from discovering the charms beyond the gates.
Glad that we had "rain or shine" as mantra that day. |
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A small chapel near the entrance. With an umbrella in one hand, and a camera in the other,
taking a decent photo was a bit tricky, and so I must say that the photos here don't really do much justice to the place. |
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| The entrance/cafe/first gallery as seen from the chapel grounds. |
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An outdoor attraction. In the past, vendors would go around town in this type of cart
to sell woven baskets and other rattan products. |
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| Curious advice from a snail. |
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| This is the sculpture by Datu Arellano |
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| Some sculptures are not easily visible, and so I was pleasantly surprised each time I discovered one:) |
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| A huge mural at gallery 1 |
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| The building near the recently opened Pinto Art Academy |
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| Inside the academy |
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| Across, there is a bell tower, a library, and a cafe |
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Cafe Dionysus - it was closed at that time being a rainy season,
but I could imagine it coming to life in summer
with the balmy air Antipolo is known for (at least in the past) |
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| Deck at Cafe Dionysus |
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There is also an amphitheater where open-air performances apparently take place when the weather cooperates.
The gallery below houses a collection of sculptures.
On the left is a functioning deep well,
and inside there are clay jars that in old times were used to store water. |
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| The view from the bell tower |
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| This is another cluster of galleries, with pocket gardens, and another cafe |
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| The galleries are all connected on the ground, as well as through the roof decks |
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Inside Out...one of the main galleries opens to another pocket,
where a colourful sculpture also stands as if on eternal watch |
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| This is probably the most common photo background in the museum...kids love to have their photos taken with this;) |
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| I love all or most of the art works, but specially this stand-out - Untitled by Leonard Aguinaldo |
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| A chic pedicab? |
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| An inner gallery |
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| Colourful art depicting Spanish colonial times |
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| Another pocket of greens |
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This speaks of the wisdom of older folks. My fun translation of the title is "Been there, done that":)
(Title: Papunta pa lang kayo, pabalik na ako) |
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| This gallery is spacious, bright and airy |
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| I love this chair:) |
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| One of the bolder colours around |
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| Musicians - by Anthony Palermo? (I forgot to write the artist's name) |
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| I can definitely spend an entire afternoon here |
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There's a also a pool in the property.
I wonder if there are plans to set up a B&B here...it would be a dream:) |
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| Ode to an umbrella |
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| Back at the cafe after a quick tour of the place |
If you are planning to go, make sure to block off a day so that you can enjoy the place more leisurely. And of course take into account the unpredictable traffic going to and coming from Antipolo. But even with traffic and all, a visit to this one of a kind museum is well worth it, and something I'd love to do again soon, hopefully on a sunnier day:)
#PintoArtMuseum #DatuArellano #LeonardAguinaldo #morefuninthephilippines #Antipolo
