With the inauguration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr as the Philippines' 17th president, the National Museum of Fine Arts marks the first time in a long while that an inauguration ceremony would be held here since the Commonwealth times.
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Manansala’s Philamlife Paintings at the National Museum
When the Urban Roamer got the opportunity to visit the Philamlife Building at Ermita during its (sob) final days, one of the things I was fixated upon was the artworks whose artist was a mystery to me at that time. Thanks to a reader, I found out that those artworks were actually done by Vicente Manansala himself, National Artist for Visual Arts alongside with colleagues like Fernando Amorsolo and Botong Francisco. The paintings are a a series of 7 commissioned works completed by Manansala in 1961, the same year the Philamlife Building was completed, done in the cubist style Manansala was known for. While the issue about the fate of the…
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A Day At The National Museum (Part 1: the National Art Gallery)
I wish I could say that museums in the Philippines are as well-visited as museums in the countries. The fact is sadly, museums here are not much promoted as destinations to be visited by locals and tourists. Yes, for some reason, some travel books and sites about the Philippines do not emphasize that visiting a museum here is a must-do. Do Filipinos couldn’t care less about museums and the things being showcased there? Do they generally find museums boring compared to malls and beaches? Do some think our museums here suck? While I have no answer to the first 2 questions, I must say that the answer to the 3rd…