DILLETANTE.  An admirer or lover of the fine arts, science, or letters; an amateur; one who pursues an art or literature desultorily and for amusement.

       From an early age, I have always been engrossed with art. Through art I get clued up on connecting and appreciating the beauty of the world.  Most of us know the feeling of being moved by a work of art, whether it is a song, a play, a poem, a novel or a painting, . When we are touched, we are moved; we are transported to a new place that is, nevertheless, strongly rooted in a physical experience, in our bodies. We become aware of a feeling that may not be unfamiliar to us but which we did not actively focus on before. This transformative experience is what art is constantly seeking. Because of my huge fascination with art, I became more keen on exploring anything that signifies art and that explains my allurement to discover museums.  

There are innumerable museums that I would love to visit here in Manila but here are my top picks:

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF HISTORY

        The National Museum of History is a recently opened assemblage along Agrifina Circle of Rizal Park. The integument of this museum is originally built to house the Ministries of Agriculture and Commerce during the 1940 and now became one of the architectural marvels of Manila.

But what else is there to look forward to at the National Museum? 

National Museum of History is not just a conventional stamp. This museum showcase new and advanced in years materials that have not been on exhibit since early 1990s. 

Here are some of them:

Lolong's Replica.

Relic display of Lolong

Lolong is known as the world's largest crocodile in captivity. As of today, what has been being displayed in the museum is just the replica of Lolong's corpse. Soon it will be replaced by the actual taxedermied specimen. Really looking forward to this! 

The Botany Division

National Museum of history exhibit various
botanical illustrations and paintings of country's early naturalists. This is an alignment to the "Flora of the Philippines Project".

Captivating interior structure of National Museum of History. 

The Tree of Life

Of course, I am looking ahead to the architectural design of this museum. The design statement of this museum has been a talk of the town as it modeled DNA, the basic building block of life.

Exterior of Metropolitan Museum of Manila.

                            METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF MANILA

       The Metropolitan Museum of Manila is one of the few museums in Manila and is located in Roxas Boulevard, just beside the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The Museum pays tribute to the city's pre-colonial past by incorporating relics of pottery and precious metals.

          This museum is intentionally built as a venue for international art exhibition in 1976 which aimed to expand the exposure of Filipinos to visual arts. This is also the first Philippine art institution to offer a pedantic program.

AYALA MUSEUM

        The Ayala Museum is a museum in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is located in Ayala Center adjacent to Greenbelt mall and is run privately by the Ayala Foundation. This six-storey edifice houses ethnographic and archaeological exhibits on Filipino culture, art, and history. Since its establishment in 1967, the museum has been committed to showcasing overseas collections and situating contemporary Philippine art in the global arena in a two-way highway of mutual cooperation. 

Ayala Museum highlights its collection of Archaeological artifacts, notably the Gold of Ancestors.

  Can't wait to visit all these museums and  immerse myself to the boundless aesthetics of Philippines!