guayasamin museum

Never have I enjoyed every piece of art of a particular artist as much as Oswaldo Guayasamin's. Absolutely beautiful works all emotionally charged and full of love for his country and people. His portrayal of human suffering, perhaps more than joy, is tangible. His house is also open for viewing which is just as interesting and gives some insight into his personal lifestyle. Clearly Guayasamin was a self made man, great artist and lover of life. His legacy will live on, surely. The guided tour of the house is not to be missed; our guide was extremely well read in the arts and art history and portrayed Guayasamin as if he was her father, bringing him back to life in the process!

Guayasamín painted for the downtrodden and repressed and managed to make a pretty good living from it, and I don't want to find fault with that, but the message of his art got a little diluted once I went to his home. It's a beautiful home, though!

This is a beautiful setting with the best collection of Guayasamín's work, and a lovely architectural complex. Powerful work in a minimalist setting, and then the tour of his home and art studio is just lovely. The little cafeteria is not good, so come to the spot already having had your lunch. I agree with other reviews that the beautiful gift shop will capture you, but I was happy to buy two books of Guayasamín's art work.

The art of Oswaldo Guayasamin will haunt you -- it will get into your soul and stay with you long after you leave Ecuador. The museum captures and presents this in a magnificent setting, overlooking the entire city of Quito, and the tour of both the museum and Guayasamin's house and his incredible personal art collection is breath-taking. Our magical day ended in the Museum shop where we decided to purchase two pencil-signed Guayasamin lithographs so his art could, literally, stay with us forever. We were given signed certified receipts and told by Gabriela Granda, the lovely woman who sold us the art, that we would go to the tax refund desk at the airport and they would refund our 12% tax, a considerable amount of money, as we had paid a considerable amount of money for the lithos. The next day, when we went to the airport, we discovered that the lovely Gabriela, who told us she's worked at the Museum for 9 years, had outright lied to us. There is NO TAX REFUND on art that is purchased at any museum, as the very patient but insistent young man at the tax refund desk explained to us. He showed us the list of places (mostly hotels, oddly enough) where purchases can be made that qualify for tax refunds. The Guayasamin Museum is not, and never has been, on that list. We still would have bought the art -- there was no reason at all to lie to us -- but the whole experience left such a bad taste that we still haven't had the work framed. I have written to the Guayasamin Foundation with copies of all my documents but still have not heard back from them. I hope I do. That kind of behavior should not be tolerated. Other than that, great museum, fantastic art, don't miss it.

Guayasamin was a very talented artist who painted, sculpted and wrote on behalf of those who suffer the most in repressive societies and in war - women, children and the poor. He was very adept at capturing fear and dispair in his images and his use of color. For this reason, you may have an emotional response to his work. Most North Americans are unfamiliar with Guayasamin. If that is true for you, then go. You will learn a lot about South America through an artist's eyes and marvel at one man's ability to create so many astounding images.The tour is very professional. English tours are conducted throughout the day. The venue seems far away from colonial Quito, but it costs less that $5 by cab and lots of cabs are on the street awaiting customers when you are done.

We had never heard of Guayasmin and the visit to his house was very educational. The photos of the artist with with world leaders like Mao and his good friend Fide,l are fascinating. The artist's collections of paintings, religious sculpture, plates, etc. are a delight to any collector. Guayasamin's paintings are well displayed and you can observe his progression through styles and influences from other artists. The building and grounds designed by his brother and the view are worth the visit by themselves. There is a small cafe with a panoramic view of the city.

The best part is actually the tour of the house, the art, the artifacts and the video of Guayasamin painting his good friend Paco De Lucia.

Guayasamin's Museum (former home) is a sanctuary of art. The curators are spectacular! They offer English, Russian, Spanish and German... N/C

The Museo Guayasamin is very impressive. Oswaldo Guayasamin's home has been well preserved. From his clothes still in the closets to his art studio, everything is in its place. Many of his works can be viewed in his home as well as down the path leading to the La Capilla Del Hombre where there are numerous large pieces of his art. The grounds are very nice and the views are beautiful. Take a taxi as the area is very hilly ($5.00 from Plaza Foch). Our guide Peter was great.

Both Capella del Hombre and the Museum Guayasamin are covered - you would buy tickets to both as they are in the same complex and complimentary to each other.

We love to see this museum, but check before you go - it is closed on Sundays and Mondays (this month!).

Please visit the Capilla del Hombre and the Museum. We started with the Capilla and asked for a guide (no charge). It was very worthwhile and gave us insight into this artist, a stunning humanitarian. In his home, we had a very good tour in English with two videos. The home is amazing, but my favorite part was the video, in his studio, of his actual painting of a portrait in ONE HOUR. Incredible. And the portrait is in the studio. You won't be disappointed if you visit this site. Take a taxi.

The home contains the pre-Colonial and Colonial art that Mr Guayasamin collected himself. The museum next door contains his own works. Plan to spend a half day here. It's worth every minute.

This is a must see when you are in Quito. Get a taxi because the walk is tough up the hill. Don't miss the La Capilla del hombre where Oswaldo's larger pieces are exhibited in a breathtaking domed building.

A must see for appreciating the work of a renowned Ecuadoran artist. Great view of Quito from outside of what is a very modern museum. The artist's home also is part of the mix and is Frank Lloyd-Wright-like in its design.