阿亚拉博物馆

地处商务区，所在区域类似上海新天地。殖民的开始就是菲律宾国家形态诞生的开始，殖民者将土著部落组合在了一起。由此可知国民性。楼下花园不错，可以在此喝个下午茶。

There were 4 floors of different aspects of Phillipino history. I especially enjoyed the artifacts and intricate jewelry. There were magnifying glasses that you could move over the pieces in order to appreciate the detail more fully. Although I'm not a history buff, I enjoyed it. I would recommend going to see this quality museum.

I am a history junkie - and being a Filipino, I love learning more and more about our own history. I am quite sure there are far more prestigious and far more extravagant museums all over the world, but it is the content of the Ayala Museum that makes it stand out for me.As a child, the "old" Ayala Museum was always a staple for class field trips and learning activities, and even then, the dioramas depicting important aspects, periods and events in Philippine history was always the crowd favorite.In the new Ayala Museum the dioramas have been improved, and the number has even increased - there are even a couple of dioramas that are not yet on display. But NOW, the diorama section as a strong contender for the "crowd favorite" title: the amazing display of ancestral gold artefacts on the top floor of the Museum building titled "Gold of Ancestors". These artefacts collected from various places in the Philippines refutes earlier thoughts that the Philippines became "civilized" only with the arrival of western culture. From simple jewelry to intricate death masks, weapons and body adornments for Philippine Royalty, each of these gold items speaks about a civilization now gone, but which once was proud and strong. That makes for an impressive lesson on history.Oh, and to add to the scholarly part of any tour, make sure to drop by the Ayala Museum's Filipinas Heritage Library, located on the top floor of the adjacent "glass tower". It is by far the foremost and premiere Filipiniana Library in the country. The book, records and even pictures in their collections will add some more information to the tours in the Museum, plus you will find one of the most complete collection of WWII documents and books that speak about the war from three perspectives: the Filipinos, the Americans and the Japanese.It is centrally located in the Ayala Business Center, and connected via walkway to various malls and restaurant rows. It even has a Koi pond beside it located in a beautiful garden that does well for families with children.Again, there may be far better Museums around the world, but for Philippine culture and history (including some "hidden, less-known-facts" of Philippine history), the Ayala Museum is the place to be. Make sure to catch their regular talks and symposia given by well-loved historians, as well as some of their regular workshops for the young and young at heart. It is well worth the PhP500 entrance fee.

What a wonderful coincidence when during my last trip to Makati, the museum was exhibiting World War II in Manila memorabilia and photos. Great exhibit of photos and artifacts from the Japanese invasion and occupation of Manila during WWII.The location of this museum is excellent as it is located at Greenbelt Park, basically a huge shopping mall. A great place to spend your time while the wife shops.

The Ayala Museum, right smack in the middle of the financial district is a wonderful find. Known for the dioramas that depict Philippine history, the museum carries contemporary art work and also has a floor for gold find that date back to pre-Spanish colonization of the islands. Must see when you're in Manila.

My wife and I visited the museum on our first day in the Philippines as we had a day to spare and wanted to learn a little about the Philippines as we were spending several weeks in the country. We were not disappointed! The 90 or so dioramas on level two was one of the best presentations I have seen anywhere in the world and explained so much about the history of the country. It is so easy to get sensory information overload at a museum - and so this was a terrific and different way to learn.We also visited the gold exhibition on level 4 - which is a must! We really didn't expect much, but quite simply we were blown away.Highly recommended if you are in Manila

This museum is excellent for learning about the history and people who formed the Philippines of today. There is a whole floor of dioramas to walk through. The top floor also has an excellent exhibit of ancient gold artifacts discovered in the Philippines which is well laid out. Aim to spend 2 - 3 hours there,

Dear Ayala Museum, Thank you for the grand time I was given at your place last Thursday {February 26th 2015}. Good service and good view at the Ayala Museum, definitely the visit was gold. I am impressed with the Gold Exhibit at the 4th Floor, it is a representation how rich the Ayalas are :) My favorite was the Collection of the Fernando Zobel Artistry, it did educate me in the style of an Ayala in the Arts. My eyes were consumed by the F Zobel Letters, F Zobel Icaro Painting & F Zobel Ropa Pen Scribblers. It' s nice to know more of the Philippines' tagged Rich Family-the Ayala Clan, I will visit the Ayala Library in the future and then perhaps I will learn more of the heritage of the said Metro Manila Business Icon' s history. I will apply for a Membership at the Museum :) I am interested to be taking part of its events and gatherings. Thank you Ayala Museum & Thank you God for the Paper spent on the place.

I spent hours in the great exhibits, especially the history of the Philippines and the gold historic finds.

We stayed at the Peninsular Manila, so it was a short walk to this modern and well laid out museum. We arrived from the covered pedestrian bridge and walked around in interesting display of items from WWII. We wanted to go further but security guards said we needed a ticket. The ticket office was two floors below and the elevator took too long to arrive, so we took the stairs but could not find the ticket box. Out of patience we left the way we came. Maybe the museum should consider directing people to one entrance, or have multiple ticket booths (probably too expensive). Pity.

Inside the Greenbelt shopping center, I think two of the floors are free, and one has an admission price. Interesting history of Manila area, with objects to see. Much of it was anti-Japanese, related to world war two.

The ship models and dioramas were amazingly well done with lots of painstaking detail, really gave a good overview of Filipino history and what the people have gone through. The gold floor is also quite interesting, but the rest could be optional as there is a lot of walking involved.Museum Cafe is a great restaurant for a break afterwards!

This is a smaller, but ultra modern, museum focusing on Filipino history and artifacts. The first floor has special exhibits, the second has intricate dioramas of Filipino history, the third floor has modern art, and the top floor has gold and ceramics. I've been to many excellent museums around the world, and I would rate this one in the top five I've been to. Fascinating, well curated, and not to busy. We even got an excellent private guided tour for only 100 pesos (about 2.25 USD) that lasted three hours by emailing ahead and requesting one. The cafe across the main museum area is also excellent, especially the fresh fruit smoothies and the impossible cake.

The exhibitions were very interesting when I was there, specially the one about Philippines` political history - very informative with attractive illustration.I also saw a collection of gold artifacts from all around Asia, for which they did quite an interesting job on presenting. I do prefer art over history museums, but this was a pleasant afternoon. The ticket was a little on the expansive side, about P450.

Having been almost always disappointed by cultural attractions in PI, and preferring Botticelli and Michelangelo to Warhol and Picasso, if you had told me I'd be blown away by a modern art museum in Manila, I would have bet against that occurring. And I would have lost. Ayala Museum ranges far beyond national 20th/21st century art, and is absolutely the finest cultural attraction I've seen anyway in the islands. Probably has something to do with its being privately owned and managed. Caveat: they have temporary exhibits, and one will end in a month. Here's the highlights (there are no low-lights);On the 2nd FLOOR, the special exhibit that ends in a month is "Manila: My City at War." As anyone who has wandered around Intramuros knows, one of the richest and most beautiful Spanish cities in the world was leveled during World War II. And not just Intramuros--all of Manila. When the Japanese Army invaded, Douglas MacArthur withdrew US and Filipino troops from Manila and declared it an Open City. When MacArthur returned with US, Filipino, Australian and Mexican forces, the Japanese commander, Yamashita, withdrew most of his army but left several thousand troops behind. Worse, the Japanese navy landed 10,000 marines (and lots of explosives) under Admiral Iwabuchi Sanji whose mission was to destroy all port facilities. The admiral took command and ordered remaining personnel to dig in and fight to the death in one of the most savage and destructive battles of the war. Horrific war crimes were committed; an estimated 100,000 civilians were killed before the Allied forces secured the ruins of the city, and saved the survivors. The exhibit has artifacts: photos, newspapers, Japanese weapons, MacArthur's binoculars. But the most moving item is the films taken during the battle, particularly one taken by an American Signal Corpsman who had lived in Manila before the war. The film is tough to watch. You will be appalled by the destruction of the city and even more by thr horrors inflicted on the helpless citizens.There's more history on the same floor. As the opening exhibit of the museum, it was decided to display the sweeping cavalcade of PI history via 60 miniature dioramas spanning times from 750,000 BCE to the birth of the Republic on July 4th 1946. This is an art museum, and the diorama subjects were first selected, then an artistic competition was held on designs. Ultimately 5 artists were selected, five more artists were added, skilled woodcarvers started on the figurines, other craftsmen helped assemble building facades and other three-dimensional spaces, and the artists began painting figures, props, structures and backgrounds. Each of the easiest dioramas took at least 8 months to create; the complex ones took up to two years, and the entire collaborative project took 10 years to complete. You'll see the Ifugao rice terraces (now a UNESCO WHS), the introduction of Islam and the first mass, Magellan's death, Legazpi's blood compact with Sikatuna, massacres and assassinations; the battle of Manila Bay, the Bataan Death March; MacArthur and Osmena wading ashore at Leyte, and lots more. So, an artistic collaboration to create a patriotic visual reliving of the Philippines' long and eventful history (see photos). And, a multimedia show rolls the time forward from 1946 to the present while a remarkable display of the historic vessels plying the archipelago's waters is opposite (see photos). Great for both kids and shutterbugs.On the 3rd FLOOR, exhibits of 20th C Filipino painting focus on two artists. The first is Cesar Legaspi, whose paintings include classic Cubist works (Stoneworkers, Grand Canyon), and swirling images of acrobats and cock-fights. Particularly notable is Legaspi's brilliant use of color, made even more wonderful given his rather severe handicap for a painter: he was born color-blind. The other major exhibit is works of abstract artist Fernando Zobel y Ayala, not a shock seeing as this IS the Ayala Museum. Zobel's style also evolved; some of the most striking are black lines on white, a style inspired by Chinese calligraphy, for example the forceful and prominently displayed Icaro. You don't actually see Icarus; the sun has done its work and you only see the comet-like fatal plunge back to earth. This floor also houses a compact but first-rate museum store (see photo of store; you can't take photos in any galleries on either the 3rd or 4th floor, but the eagle-eyed guards OKed this one.)The GROUND FLOOR gallery is showing an exhibit of "sculptures" by Eduardo Olbes based on "a sublimination of an essence" of Ming sculpture. They're visual treats interpreting Ming special concepts. But that doesn't mean you couldn't use them functionally. That narrow table would look great against my wall with a celadon vase on it. And the "Writing Desk with Flowers" (stone sides but wooden--rosewood?--tabletop with four flowers in it) would be perfect for my library. I'd have bought it on the spot but I didn't want to disrupt the exhibit. (See photo.)But both for the vast majority of visitors and for me (though for different reasons) the very best was on top, the 4th FLOOR:The crowd favorite (no contest) is the Gold of Ancestors exhibit: about 2,000 works of gold from the pre-Magellan Philippines. In addition to the beauty of the goldwork itself, the exhibit is notable for innovative organization and display: your viewing starts with a great 10-minute multimedia show that explains what you're going to see. The exhibits include some buried hoards shown individually on the floor; you can walk on the tough transparent case that covers them, to get a better look (I let others try it; I wasn't willing to stand over a priceless piece of prehistoric pottery.). Because many of the works are tiny, quite a few are in special cases designed so you can move powerful magnifying glasses vertically and horizontally to magnify any pieces of particular interest. The exhibit is also notable for astute commentary. such as Information on gold mining, gold-smithing, and cultural similarities between the various Austronesian peoples (Filipinos, Indonesians, Malaysians). The subtitle of the exhibit is in fact "Crossroads of Civilizations." There is a small but good exhibit of textiles on the floor, but my personal favorite is the Asian ceramics. Over 80 celadons, a sublime Tang vase over a thousand years old (sorry: no Tang horses or camels), brown ware, blue and white Ming ware, and ceramics from Thailand, Vietnam, etc. not only is the collection very, very extensive, but each piece is connaisseur quality. Trust me, there are very few art museums in the world who wouldn't give their eye teeth to have Ayala's ceramics (including both San Francisco's Museum of Asian Art and Singapore's Museum of Asian Civilizations). And the whole package is wrapped up in a stunning piece of modern architecture, in the middle of the Greenbelt.As a final sidebar comment: while the museum's curatorship is absolutely admirable, there were a few surprises. I'm confident that the hominids in Cagayan were not "ancestral" to anyone alive today. And the gold exhibit,referring to the contacts between Butuan and Champa, describes the latter as a "Sino-Vietnamese kingdom." Cham were and are, like the Fiiipinos and Malays, Austronesian. If you see the Gold exhibit, for fun go to the Cord Weights section of Mortals Adorned, and use the magnifying glass to inspect the flower studs in the 2nd case from the left: at the center of many of them you'll see what appears to be a female breast. If you've been to either of the two great Cham sculpture repositories (DaNang and Ho Chi Minh; I've reviewed both in TA), you'll know that the ubiquitous design feature of pre-Islamic Cham work is the female breast, in exactly the same proportions; looks to me like another example of the Crossroads of Civilizations.