BENGUET | The Art Inside BenCab Museum

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Faking Me by Leonard Aguinaldo at BenCab Museum

BenCab Museum is the house that art built as one writer puts it. And indeed it is, it has everything an art lover wants, paintings, sketches, prints, sculptures, installations, carvings, and everything else in between.

The museum is divided into nine galleries, an outdoor space for sculpture exhibit and a function room for film showings The Centerpiece of the Erotica Gallery at BenCab Museum and meetings.

The BenCab Gallery is where BenCab houses his four decades of work that earned him a National Artist award in 2006. The Cordillera Gallery on the other hand has his collection of everything Northern Highlands; Cordillera carvings, furniture, baskets, tools, weapons and what-nots.


A gallery for noted Philippine artists is roomed in the Maestro Gallery but is not as popular with the masses as the Erotica Gallery which features works the MTRCB would definitely rate as Restricted (children are not allowed inside).

The Print Gallery exhibits photographs and prints both vintage and modern (I especially dig the vintage ones). On our first visit at the museum, they were exhibiting prints by BenCab himself and on this last visit, Philippine vista Sculptures Inside BenCab Museum prints circa18th and 19th century. Really interesting stuff. 

Two galleries are dedicated to contemporary arts, aptly named the Philippine Contemporary Art Gallery 1 & 2. I’m not sure if these are BenCab’s personal collection but they seemed unchanged from our two separate visits, so I’m assuming they are.

The museum also has galleries for rotating exhibitions; the Sepia Gallery, which currently houses an exhibit by Ofelia Gelvezon-Tequi on Stoneware Pottery, the Gallery Indigo, and the Patio Salvador, which is an open area for sculpture shows.

Through all these galleries lies the hub of the museum, BenCab’s bulol collection. 21 pieces (if my count was correct) of unique and original Cordillera Rice Gods. There are a lot more bulols in the Cordillera Gallery but I think these are his most prized ones.

It would take hours to take in everything BenCab’s museum has to offer, so if you plan to check the place out, I suggest you visit early and let BenCab’s temple infuse art into thy soul.

Froilan Calayag's After Hieronymus Bosch at BenCab Museum Israel Gonzales' Kusog Tawhanon at BenCab Museum
Arturo Luz's White Templates at BenCab Museum
BenCab's Sabel In Hiding at BenCab Museum Elmer Borlongan's Comet Hyakutake at BenCab Museum

 

BenCab Musuem
Address: Km. 6 Asin Road, Tadiangan, Tuba, Benguet
Contact Number: (074) 442-7165 | Website: http://bencabmuseum.org/
Museum hours: Open daily except Mondays, Christmas & New Year 9:00am - 6:00pm

Baguio 2011 Series

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8 comments

  1. I told my husband that this is one place that we cannot miss this year!

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  2. Kakamangha naman..

    Mr.Christian.. tubong Baguio poba si Ben Cab?

    Thanks po sa Pag share.. :)

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  3. Wow, four decades of work! I should go there on my next visit to Baguio. Good thing they also allow visitors to take pictures :-)

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  4. I wouldn't mind spending time here just staring at the paintings and other masterpieces for hours.

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  5. Hilda
    Definitely a must Ma'am Hilda =]

    Tripper10
    Nope, as I remember, he's from Manila (Malabon in particular if my memory serves me right) and later moved to Baguio which now serves as his home.

    Senyor Lakwatsero
    They're pretty open on taking pictures, I guess since they know that photography is also art. =]

    Claire
    The Faking Me peice (first picture above) really got me, it's a huge piece of carved rubber art. Ibang klase

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  6. Thanks... Hindi pala siya taga Baguio, Na inlove siguro siya talaga sa ganda ng Baguio... sabagay sino ba naman ang Hindi.. :)

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    1. very true. kahit siguro ako kung may chance, sa Baguio din ako titira lol

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