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Ayala Museum, Manila Overview

Situated next to the Greenbelt Mall within the Ayala Complex in Makati, Ayala Museum is a popular museum in Metro Manila, Philippines. Exhibiting over four floors of ancient and contemporary relics of Filipino culture, art and history, the majestic museum is thronged by tourists and locals alike. The highlight of the repository is the exhibition of the 60 magnificent dioramas, efficiently and picturesquely tracing the country’s history. Among the popular displays are the pre- Hispanic gold jewellery, rotating art exhibits and the stunning textile collection etc. Besides, the museum holds frequent discussions, workshops, lectures and exhibitions on art, photography and writing etc.

Tour of the Ayala Museum

The first floor has different ongoing exhibitions and audio visual presentations going on from time to time. The events are organized to promote art, culture and history.
The second floor is the most popular one at the museum because of the sixty odd dioramas installed there. These dioramas depict in 3D the rich history of the Philippines. It also portrays the colonization of the territory by the Spanish, America and Japan.
The third floor gallery of Ayala Museum specializes in art products and relics. The hallways are decked up in paintings from the 20th and 21st centuries. The most notable artists include Fernando Amorsolo, Juan Luna and Fernando Zobel etc.
The fourth floor of the museum showcases the pre- colonial treasure, jewellery, silver and gold. The highlight of the storey is a huge theatre screen. The theatre shows timely presentations and audio visuals of the history of Filipino ancestors and their gold and wealth. There are also several gold exhibits which showcase the rich history and culture of the country.

Permanent Exhibitions at Ayala Museum

The Ground Floor and the Third Floor have ever changing exhibitions, displays and workshops. However, some of the exhibits mainly on the Second and the Fourth Floor are permanent. Here listing those-

The Diorama Experience: There are sixty magnificent dioramas to chronicle the history and pre-historic times of the Philippines, from colonization to independence. The spectacle is a visual delight and is one of the best exhibits in the museum.
Maritime Vessels: These are the vessels, watercrafts and modes of transport that enabled Philippine maritime trade and improved the colonial economy.
Pioneers of Philippine Art: These are the paintings made by the contemporary artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Most notable ones are Fernando Amorsolo, Juan Luna and Fernando Zobel.
Gold of Ancestors: Another major highlight of the Ayala Museum is an exhibition of more than 1000 gold objects, jewellery and articles from before the colonization of the Philippines in the 16th century.
Embroidered Multiples: This section has elaborately embroidered and royal looking silk trousers or sayasaya worn by Philippine elite men which were only depicted in water colour paintings before. They were acquired from the French diplomat Bréjard, who served in Manila from 1881 to 1886. There is also calado openwork, and supplementary weft or suksuk, in addition to the changing silhouette of women's fashion.
A Millennium of Contact: This is a display of more than 500 Chinese and Southeast Asian ceramics, which tell the tale of how the relations were forget between the Philippines and China.

Educational Centres at Ayala Museum

Filipinas Heritage Library
Known to be one of the main electronic research centers in the Philippines, Filipinas Heritage Library is situated on the sixth floor of the Ayala Museum. Boasting of more than 13000 copies on Filipino art, history, culture, language, religions, social sciences and traditions, the library also has more than 2,000 uncommon titles, maps, and photographs of the country. In addition to that, the library has also set up an online search engine that provides access to more than 357,000 Filipiniana database records which are curated from several partner libraries from all over the country.
Ceramics Study Centre
This section of the museum provides study collections - books, publications and other data from several researchers on art and history of ceramics.

History of Ayala Museum

Ayala Museum is the brainchild of the Philippine abstract painter Fernando Zóbel de Ayala y Montojo, which was ideated in 1950s. The idea was given a shape and the museum was constructed and ready by 1967 with the objective to display Philippine culture and history. Managed privately by Ayala Foundation, which was then known as Filipinas Foundation, the museum was originally located inside Insular Life Building. The decision to change the location of the building began in 2002. The new building was designed by Leandro V. Locsin Partners, led by Leandro Y. Locsin, Jr. and was constructed in granite, steel and glass. The museum was finally open to the public on September 28, 2004.