Pinto Art Museum - Home of the Art at Antipolo City

the door to the world of Art

 It was a Saturday morning that me and my sister decided to head on to Antipolo City to visit the Pinto Art Museum. Pinto Art Musuem has been the home of many contemporary and modern arts since 2001.  Antipolo City is best known for the Hinulugagng Taktak, its seminaries, resorts and churches. Few knew that Antipolo City is also the home of many local artists whose passion revolves around paintings and sculptures.

Since we will be coming from Cainta, we ride a jeep with signboard going to Antipolo and Tanay. Be sure to ask the driver if he will be passing by the Ynares Center as this will be your drop off point. From the Ynares Center you can ride the tricycle and just tell the driver to bring you to Pinto Art Musuem. The museum is inside the Grand Heights subdivision in Antipolo City. Tricycle cost is Php 40.00 which I found a little bit unreasonable, since it is just a very short ride. You can actually take the less than fifteen minute walk going to the museum.

When we reached the museum the staff greeted us and pointed us to the front desk that will give you a map for of the whole museum. The museum has a tourist guide that will assist and inform you about the different paintings and sculptures. But since we arrived at around 10 a.m a tour have already started. Instead of going with the tour me and my sister decided to follow the map and discover to ourselves the different arts that was at Pinto Art Museum.

The first art that welcomes us is the wire and aluminum like sculpture of a man praying and a pregnant woman. You will see this kind of art in the different galleries. Me and my sister actually like this sculptures aside from being unique, it also gives out a lot of emotions. It’s very simple yet very eye-catching. 

We then headed to the first gallery. But before heading then we first take a look at the garden. The garden at Pinto Art Museum is also full of statues, beautiful faunas, trees and long benches with mattresses that give a perfect opportunity for photo ops. As it is very teasing to roam around the garden, you should also be careful as there are lots small insect that bites. It is advisable to apply and bring an insect repellent with you.

Pinto Art Museum garden

pillows and mattresses at the garden

There is also a chapel inside the Musuem that looks like very antique. There are also lots of statues of Christ, saints and angels inside the chapel.

At the first gallery, you will be welcomed by a huge painting entitled “Karnabal” which is the work of various artists known as “Salingpusa”. 

"Karnabal"

One noticeable thing about the gallery is the stones that are placed inside that adds to the uniqueness of the museum. The gallery although spacious, doesn’t look bare at all. The benches, stairs and stones are strategically positioned at the museum that gives enough edges at the spacious galleries.

There are a lot of paintings that are very eye-catching. One of them is the 3-D painting of Pamela Yan Santos entitled “Making a living room: Color inside the line” The illuminated painting “Hallow” by Nona Garcia will also catch your attention. 

"Making a Living Room: Color inside the Line"

"Hallow"

Another great thing about Pinto Art Museum is that it does not only feature the Filipino artistry but also its ingenuity. This can be shown by the works of Mark Justiniani who used old door panels or “bandehas” as canvass in his paintings.

Paintings by Mark Justiniani using door panels as his canvass

The newly opened gallery, like the others also has lots of impressive paintings. One in particular is “Panalo” – a black and white painting of swimming, biking and running by Ferdie Montemayor. There is also the “Pen and ink Drawing” by Costantino Zicarelli that looks like the Rorscharch used by psychologists.

"Panalo (Swim, Bike, Run)"

One major attraction also of Pinto Art Museum is the room known as the “Forest”. This is a dark room filled with bamboo trees. There are five or six small wells with pebbles where the drops of water from the bamboo trees fell. Inside the room is a feeling of tranquility. This room together with the beautiful landscape of the garden, I think, shows the high significance of nature by the owner. 

inside the "Forest"

"oblivious"

There are so many paintings and work of art at Pinto that it is very hard neither to describe each one of them nor to post all of them here. I am also no art critic but I can say that I am very amused on the creativity and imagination of the Filipino.

And when I thought that the beach is the only place where you can relax, Pinto Art Museum proved me wrong. Pinto Art Museum is not just the gallery of paintings but it a home of the art that can bring you to different places, show you different emotions, amaze you, and let you learn to appreciate skills and nature.

Pinto Art Gallery is located at Number 1, Sierra Madre St., Grand Heights, Antipolo City, Rizal, Philippines.

Gallery is open Wednesdays to Sundays, with gallery hours from 9am to 6pm. Special tours are by appointment only.

Telefax:  

63-2-6971015