The Ayala Museum is a museum in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is located in Ayala Center adjacent to Greenbelt mall and is run privately by the Ayala Foundation. This six-storey edifice houses ethnographic and archaeological exhibits on Filipino culture, art, and history. Since its establishment in 1967, the museum has been committed to showcasing overseas collections and situating contemporary Philippine art in the global arena in a two-way highway of mutual cooperation and exchange with local and international associates.
History
Envisioned during the 1950s by Philippine abstract painter Fernando Zóbel de Ayala y Montojo, as a museum of Philippine history and iconography, the Ayala Museum was established in 1967 as a project of the Filipinas Foundation, now known as the Ayala Foundation. The museum was housed at the Insular Life Building and was transferred to the old Makati Stock Exchange Building. The old building was designed by National ArtistLeandro Locsin. Plans to transfer the Ayala Museum was made as early as 2002. The old building that hosted the old Ayala Museum was demolished which met some criticism from heritage conservationists. The museum moved to a new six-story building made from granite, steel and glass, which was designed by Leandro V. Locsin Partners, led by Leandro Y. Locsin, Jr. It was formally dedicated at the 170th anniversary of the Ayala Corporation on September 28, 2004.
Permanent exhibitions
The Diorama Experience — Sixty handcrafted dioramas form the core of Ayala Museum's historical collections and chronicle Philippine history. The exhibition highlights major events and themes from prehistoric times to the recognition of Philippine independence by the United States in 1946. The exhibition culminates with People Power, a multimedia presentation that chronicles the events that led to the First EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986, including the tumultuous 1950s, the riotous martial law years, and the restoration of Philippine democracy by a new kind of uprising.
Maritime Vessels — The museum houses several models of the watercraft that plied the Philippine seas and contributed to the development of Philippine maritime trade and colonial economy.
Pioneers of Philippine Art — Philippine art from the late 19th to the 20th century, in the works of Luna, Amorsolo, and Zobel.
Gold of Ancestors — An exhibition of more than 1,000 gold objects from cultures that existed in the Philippines before colonization in the 16th century. Many of the precious objects were recovered in association with 10th- to 13th-century Chinese export ceramics. Similarities in form and iconography with artifacts of other Southeast Asian cultures affirm regional affinities and interests. Adornments of elite individuals and their deities include an array of golden sashes, necklaces, earrings and finger rings, bracelets, and anklets.
Embroidered Multiples — The exhibition features selections from the Leiden National Museum of Ethnology's collection of Philippine garments acquired from the French diplomat Bréjard, who served in Manila from 1881 to 1886. The collection includes rare, embroidered silk trousers or sayasaya worn by Philippine elite men, formerly known only through 19th-century watercolor images. Multiple examples of delicately embroidered nipis blouses provide a lexicon of decorative techniques including relief embroidery, calado openwork, and supplementary weft or suksuk, as well as the changing silhouette of women's fashion.
A Millennium of Contact — A display of more than 500 Chinese and Southeast Asian ceramics found in the Philippines, telling the story of how the country forged social and commercial ties with China and its neighbors.
Changing Exhibitions
Ground Floor Gallery
Contemporary exhibitions such as retrospectives of Filipino artists and contemporary international art are housed at the ground floor of the museum. Recent exhibition features the "Beyond Tobacco" exhibit which is in time with Ayala Corporation's 180th anniversary. Beyond Tobacco presents the rich economic history of the Philippines and its deep relationship with Spain during and after the Tobacco Monopoly in the 19th century by its large collection of artifacts, memorabilia, maps, and photographs of the Compañia General de Tobacos de Filipinas. Artifacts such as tobaccos, cigar holders, and other paraphernalia are shown in the exhibit. Maps of huge tobacco plantations chiefly in Luzon are also displayed, including photos of the factory before and after being bombed during the Japanese occupation. Furthermore, paintings by Fernando Amorsolo and books written by Jaime Gil de Biedma and other biographers are on display. The exhibit was curated by Professor Martin Rodrigo of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain.
Third Floor Gallery
The museum's third floor galleries and the Zobel multipurpose hall are designed to house the changing displays showing Pioneers of Philippine Art, Images of Nation, New Frontiers, and Collector Series- from the 18th century to the contemporary period of Philippine art. Pioneers of Philippine Art showcases the 100 years of Philippine art from the late 19th century to the 20th century in the works of three famous Filipino artists namely Juan Luna, Fernando Amorsolo and Fernando Zobel. Paintings of Amorsolo includes Palay Maiden, Maiden with Lanzones, Maiden in a Flower Garden, Portrait of Victoria Zobel de Ayala, and Open Market Scene to name a few. All works of Zobel highlights pure non-objectivism and abstract art. Some of these include Vasata, Portrait of Ep, El Balcon II, Pausa Clara, and Las Soledades de Lope de Vega. Images of Nation shows the works of the national artists for visual arts of the Philippines while, New Frontiers features the work of contemporary artists. Launched in 2010. In the past years, Images of Nation has featured a collection of works by Vicente Manansala, Jose Joya, and Victorio Edades. The Collector Series presents selections from private collections of art in curated thematic exhibitions.
Educational centers
Filipinas Heritage Library
The Filipinas Heritage Library is located at the sixth floor of the museum. It is known to be one of the electronic research centers in the Philippines. It houses more than 13,000 contemporary volumes on Philippine history, art, language, religion, and the social sciences, and more than 2,000 uncommon titles, maps, and photographs. Additional features of this library include the digitization of its collection, CD-ROM publishing, development of web pages, and electronic databases. The library has set up an online search engine that provides access to more than 357,000 Filipiniana database records, through its numerous Library Link initiatives in the past, from over a hundred partner libraries across the Philippines.
Ceramics Study Center
Aside from the pieces of tradeware vessels from the Roberto T. Villanueva collection, one section of the museum provides researchers with study collections including books and several publications on art and history of ceramics courtesy of John D. Forbes.
