GED103-A50

NATIONAL

MUSEUM
HISTORY IMPORTANCE
THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL THE NATIONAL MUSEUM, A TRUST OF THE GOVERNMENT, IS
RESOURCES ESTABLISHED THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AN EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, AND CULTURAL INSTITUTION
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS IN 1928. IT IS HOUSED IN A STRUCTURE THAT COLLECTS WORKS OF ART, SPECIMENS, AND CULTURAL
IN THE PORT AREA NEXT TO THE MANILA HOTEL. AND HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS THAT ARE DISTINCTIVE TO THE
ADDITIONALLY, A SEPARATE ORGANIZATION KNOWN AS THE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF THE FILIPINOS AND THE NATURAL
NATIONAL LIBRARY WAS FOUNDED. BUT BEFORE THAT, ON HISTORY OF THE PHILIPPINES. IT ALSO DOCUMENTS,
AUGUST 12, 1887, A ROYAL ORDER OF THE SPANISH PRESERVES, EXHIBITS, AND FOSTERS SCHOLARLY STUDY AND
GOVERNMENT FOUNDED THE MUSEO-BIBLIOTECA DE PUBLIC APPRECIATION OF THESE ITEMS. ITS DUTIES INCLUDE
FILIPINAS, WHICH WAS LATER ABOLISHED IN 1900 WHEN ESTABLISHING, RUNNING, AND EXPANDING REGIONAL
THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION OF THE PHILIPPINES BEGAN. MUSEUMS IN VITAL CITIES ACROSS THE NATION AS WELL AS
THIS IS HOW THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PHILIPPINES THE NATIONAL MUSEUM COMPLEX AND NATIONAL
CAN TRACE ITS HISTORY. PLANETARIUM IN MANILA.
THE HISTORY ITS HISTORY AND ORIGIN
It is one the most popular Museum in the Philippines that fascinates everyone not just because of the stunning
structure but also the historic arts such as paintings, sculptures and so much more that expresses Philippine
culture and History. It was designed in a neoclassical style by Filipino Architect Antonio Toledo in the late
1930s, having the same dimensions and floor plans its twin building located at the northern side of the circle,
the Finance Building.
The National Museum of the Philippines can trace its history to the
establishment of the Museo-Biblioteca de Filipinas, established by a royal
order of the Spanish government on August 12, 1887. It opened on October
24, 1891 at the Casa de la Moneda on Calle Cabildo in Intramuros, then
home of the Philippine Mint, later moving to Calle Gunao in Quiapo. In 1904,
after the Louisiana Purchase Centennial Exposition at St. Louis, Missouri, the
name of the Museum was changed to the Philippine Museum. At the same
time, the Bureau of Ethnological Survey became the Division of Ethnology
under the Department of Public Instruction in 1905 and then under the
Bureau of Science, which housed considerable natural history collections, in
1906.
In 1928, the National Museum of the Philippine Islands was created and
placed under the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and
housed in a building in the Port Area adjacent to the Manila Hotel. By 1951,
the National Museum was placed under the Department of Education.
But starting in 1966, through the passage of R.A. No. 4846, regulatory functions were added to the National
Museum to protect and preserve Philippine cultural properties, and continuing through the 1970s, including
management of important cultural sites around the country. In addition, the National Planetarium in Rizal Park
was established under the National Museum in 1975
In 1996, President Fidel V. Ramos established a presidential committee to oversee the creation of a National
Museum complex. Earlier in 1994, he had instructed the Secretaries of Finance and Tourism to prepare for the
eventual transfer of their neo-classical buildings in Rizal Park to the National Museum, and in 1995, the Finance
Building was turned over.
On February 12, 1998, Republic Act No. 8492, The National Museum Act of 1998, was approved as the new
charter of the National Museum that reestablished the institution as an autonomous government trust
instrumentality under a Board of Trustees, and which designated the President of the Philippines as the
Honorary Chairman and Patron of the National Museum.
Under the administration of Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III, the vision for the National Museum complex in Manila
as formulated in the 1990s was revived, with the turnover of the Tourism Building that will allow for the
establishment of the permanent home of the national natural history collections, in line with the housing of the
national anthropological and archaeological collections in the Old Finance Building and the national fine arts
collections in the Old Legislative Building. Together these collections all encompass a significant and
considerable part of the national patrimony that the National Museum preserves in perpetual trust for the
Filipino people.
IMPORTANCE
As a record of many events that occurred during its period, history is
one of the treasures we have from earlier ages. Furthermore, despite
having the same goal of entertaining people and helping them to
visualize what happened in the past, it was difficult to tell if an artifact
was the real thing or a replica at the time due to a lack of data and
findings. As a result, our organization decided to build these projects,
which are now known as the Philippine National Museum. The National
Museum of the Philippines (NMP) houses four buildings in Manila that
preserve vast collections of art and the natural and cultural history of
Filipinos.

The National Museum of Natural History or Pambansang Museo ng

Likas na Kasaysayan is the Philippines’ national natural history
museum. The National Museum is one of the famous and well-known
tourist destinations in the National Capital Region. It displays of
historical artifacts that gives all the tourists a lot of knowledge about
the history, lifestyle, and culture that our country proudly presents.
The National Museum, a Trust of the Government, is an educational,
scientific and cultural institution that acquires, documents, preserves,
exhibits, and fosters scholarly study and public appreciation of works
of art, specimens, and cultural and historical artifacts representative of
our unique to the cultural heritage of the Filipino people and the
natural history of the Philippines. It is mandated to establish, manage
and develop museums comprising the National Museum Complex and
the National Planetarium in Manila, as well as regional museums in key
locations around the country.

The National Museum manages and develops the national reference

collections in the areas of cultural heritage (fine arts, anthropology and
archaeology) and natural history (botany, zoology, geology, and
paleontology), and carries out permanent research programs in
biodiversity, geological history, human origins, pre-historical and
historical archaeology, maritime and underwater cultural heritage,
ethnology, art history, and moveable and immoveable cultural
properties. Appreciation of the collections and research findings of the
Museum, as well as technical and museological skills and knowledge,
are disseminated through exhibitions, publications, educational,
training, outreach, technical assistance and other public programs. The
National Museum also implements and serves as a regulatory and
enforcement agency of the Government with respect to a series of
cultural laws, and is responsible for various culturally significant
properties, sites and reservations throughout the country.
5 THINGS
1
TO KNOW ABOUT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE
PHILIPPINES

IT USED TO Before it was a place for arts, the National Museum

BE AN used to be a legislative building until 1973, when

LEGISLATIVE former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. abolished

BUILDING Congress and declared Martial Law. When members

of the Senate and the House of Representatives

2
moved to different locations, the legislative building
turned into the permanent home of the Philippine
National Museum in 1998.

THREE In 2022, the National Museum is once again the talk of

FORMER PH the town when the transition team of Ferdinand 'Bong

PRESIDENTS Bong' Marcos Jr, announced that the building will

HAD BEEN serve as the elected President's inaugural site. He will

be the fourth President to do so after Presidents
INAUGURATED

3
Manuel L Quezon (1935), Jose P Laurel (1943), and
HERE Manuel Roxas (1946)

THE The Battle of Manila, which transpired in February

NATIONAL 1945, caused significant damage to the city. One of its

COLLECTIONS most devastating aftermaths included the knockdown

WERE of the national collections in the Legislative Building,

where most items were placed for safekeeping. When
DESTROYED the war ended, the Natural History Museum Division
IN 1945

4
in 1945 was reconnected into the National Library's
Fine Arts Division. This would later become the
National Museum.

YOU CAN The National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) has

TOUR THE decided to reach its patrons through an innovative

PLACE website that features all of the museum's art

DIGITALLY collections, articles, exhibitions, and services. The new

website, accessed through nationalmuseum.gov.ph,
was launched on September 27, 2021, in time for the
museum's 120th anniversary.
5 NATIONAL
MUSEUM OF
THE
PHILIPPINES
CAN TRACE
ITS HISTORY
TO THE
The rich history of the National Museum of the
Philippines can be traced to the establishment of the
Museo-Biblioteca de Filipinas, erected on August 12,
1887, by the royal order of the Spanish government. It
opened at the Casa de la Moneda on Calle Dabildo in
Intramuros, Manila but was later abolished in 1900
when the Americans occupied the Philippines. The
"direct precursor" of the National Museum, the Insular
ESTABLISHME Museum of Ethnology, National History and
NT OF THE Commerce, was established afterwards under the
MUSEO- Department of Public Instruction by the Philippine
BIBLIOTECA Commission on October 29, 1901.
DE
FILIPINAS
MUST-SEE

MASTERPIECES
AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PHILIPPINES

EACH WORK IS A HISTORY LESSON WITH MUSEUMS PLAY A VERY BIG ROLE FOR US
OUR COUNTRY’S GREATEST ARTISTS PEOPLE. THEY ARE THE VERY REMINDER
REACHING OUT THROUGH THE CANVAS THAT THIS IS HOW WE GROW AS PEOPLE,
TO TELL US OF THEIR EXPERIENCES, AS CERTAIN INDIVIDUAL IN THIS COUNTRY.
THEIR POINTS OF VIEW, AND THE THROUGH ART INSTALLATIONS, DIFFERENT
PHILIPPINES AND THE WORLD THEY TYPES OF ARTS CRAFTED INTO UNIQUE
ENCOUNTERED DURING THEIR TIME. PIECES—ARE THE VERY REASON THAT
EXPLORING THE INTERIOR OF THE AWAKES OUR DESIRE TO KNOW MORE
MUSEUM IS ONE OF THE MOST THAN JUST OURSELVES, BUT OUR RICH
FULFILLING EXPERIENCES OF ONE’S CULTURE AND HERITAGE.
JOURNEY AS IT PROVIDES A CHANCE TO IF YOU’RE PLANNING YOUR NEXT VISIT TO
LEARN MORE ABOUT HISTORY AS A A MUSEUM, HERE ARE SOME
STORE HOUSE OF THE PAST AND IT IMPORTANT PIECES YOU SHOULD TAKE
HELPS TO BE FAMILIAR WITH THE NOTE FOR, AND PIECES YOU CAN ONLY
ARTWORKS AND COLLECTIONS MADE SEE AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM:
BY THE ARTISTS.
”THE
SPOLARIUM”
THIS MIGHT PROBABLY THE
BIGGEST ARTWORK YOU’LL SEE
IN THIS MUSEUM. THE
SPOLIARIUM IS A MASTERPIECE
CREATED BY THE FILIPINO
PAINTER, JUAN LUNA.

THE PAINTING DEPICTS THE BODIES OF THE GLADIATORS BEING DRAGGED FROM A
ROMAN ARENA. ON THE LEFT, SCAVENGERS EYE THE DEAD MEN’S POSSESSIONS WHILE
A ROMAN BESIDE THEM RAISES A FIST IN PROTEST. A WOMAN MOURNS A LOVED ONE
ON THE RIGHT SIDE WHILE AN OLD MAN SEARCHES FOR A BODY AMID THE SMOKY
HAZE. THE DEPICTION OF ROMAN CRUELTY IN THE PAINTING HAS BEEN INTERPRETED
AS AN ALLEGORY FOR THE STATE OF THE PHILIPPINES UNDER SPANISH RULE.THE
NAME OF THE PAINTING ‘SPOLIARIUM’ IS A LATIN WORD THAT REFERS TO THE AREA
IN THE ROMAN COLOSSEUM WHICH WAS USED TO DUMP THE BODIES OF FALLEN
GLADIATORS. LUNA PORTRAYED A CONTRAST BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES OF THE
PAINTING

”DRAWINGS AND UNFINISHED WORKS

OF FERNANDO AMORSOLO”
ANOTHER GALLERY IN THIS BUILDING IS
DEDICATED TO THE COUNTRY’S FIRST
EVER NATIONAL ARTIST, FERNANDO
AMORSOLO. AMORSOLO WAS KNOWN FOR
HIS OIL PAINTINGS OF RURAL LIFE
MADE IN THE CLASSICAL STYLE. THIS
GALLERY IN PARTICULAR SHOWCASES
OVER 100 DRAWINGS BY AMORSOLO, WHO
MADE A SERIES OF BLACK-AND-WHITE
PENCIL AND INK SKETCHES AND OIL
STUDIES OF HIS SUBJECTS PRIOR TO
MAKING THE FINAL ARTWORK.
THIS GALLERY IN PARTICULAR
SHOWCASES OVER 100 DRAWINGS BY
AMORSOLO, WHO MADE A SERIES OF
BLACK-AND-WHITE PENCIL AND INK
SKETCHES AND OIL STUDIES OF HIS
SUBJECTS PRIOR TO MAKING THE FINAL
ARTWORK.
”MANUEL ROXAS
MEMORABILIA”

THERE IS A SPECIFIC HALL DEDICATED TO

THE FORMER PRESIDENT, MANUEL ROXAS. IT
SHOWCASES AN OLD FLAG THAT WAS USED
DURING THE PRESIDENT’S INAUGURATION,
MAGAZINE CLIPPINGS, PRESIDENTIAL
DOCUMENTS, BOOKS AND OTHER MATERIALS
RELATED TO HIM.

”EL GOBERNADOR Y EL OBISPO”

BY FELIX RESURRECCIÓN HIDALGO

“EL GOBERNADOR Y EL OBISPO” BY FELIX

RESURRECCIÓN HIDALGO
THE OIL PAINTING IS A METAPHORICAL
REPRESENTATION OF AN ENCOUNTER BETWEEN
DON GOMEZ PEREZ DASMARIÑAS, THE SEVENTH
GOVERNOR AND CAPTAIN-GENERAL OF THE
PHILIPPINES AND FRAY DOMINGO DE SALAZAR,
A DOMINICAN FRIAR AND FIRST BISHOP OF
MANILA.THE TWO WERE DEPICTED DELIBERATING
ABOUT THE DISPATCH OF A MILITARY
EXPEDITION TO THE FORT AT TERNATE IN THE
MOLUCCAS.
THIS WAS PRESIDENT MANUEL L. QUEZON’S FAVORITE PAINTING IN THE MALACAÑANG
PALACE BEFORE IT WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE
PHILIPPINES.

BY JOSE RIZAL

”LA VENGANZA
THIS IS A TERRACOTTA SCULPTURE
MADE BY RIZAL IN 1894 WHILE IN
DELA MADRE
EXILE IN DAPITAN, ZAMBOANGA. THIS
SCULPTURE DEPICTS A MOTHER DOG
RESCUING HER HELPLESS PUP FROM
THE ATTACK OF A CROCODILE—AN
ACTUAL REPRESENTATION OF FILIPINO
PATRIOTS (MOTHER DOG) SAVING THE
DEFENSELESS COUNTRYMEN (THE PUP)
FROM THE EXPLOITATIONS OF SPANISH
POWER (CROCODILE).
”THE OLD ”THE
RETABLO” SCULPTURES OF
BY BOHOL GUILLERMO
TOLENTINO”

THIS GALLERY IS DEDICATED TO ONE OF

THE MOST RENOWNED FILIPINO SCULPTORS
IN HISTORY. THIS GUILLERMO TOLENTINO
GALLERY SHOWCASES SOME OF HIS FAMOUS
SCULPTURES AND MEMORABILIA THAT
INCLUDES BUST STATUES OF MANUEL
QUEZON, EMILIO AGUINALDO, AND THE
FAMOUS COMMONWEALTH TRIUMPHAL ARCH.
THE LUIS I. ABLAZA HALL
HOUSES RELIGIOUS ART FROM
THE 17TH TO 19TH CENTURIES
AND ONE OF THE MOST
INTERESTING HIGHLIGHTS IN
THIS ROOM IS THE OLD
RETABLO RECOVERED FROM AN
OLD CHURCH OF BOHOL. THE
WOODEN RETABLO ALONG WITH
OTHER RELIGIOUS SCULPTURES
WERE PARTICULARLY TAKEN
FROM THE CHURCH OF SAN
NICOLAS DE TOLENTINO,
DIMIAO, BOHOL.

”SCULPTURES OF ONE OF THE MOST DOMINANT WORK

OF ART THAT CAN BE SEEN HERE
ISABELO ARE THE ACADEMIC AND NEO-

TAMPINCO” CLASSICAL SCULPTURES CREATED

BY ISABELO TAMPINCO. HE IS
KNOWN FOR HIS VARIOUS WORKS
FOR CHURCHES INCLUDING THE
FAMOUS FAÇADE OF MANILA
CATHEDRAL, THE OLD SENATE
HALL, CARVINGS INSIDE THE
CHURCH OF SAN IGNACIO IN
INTRAMUROS, HIGH RELIEF ON THE
MOLAVE DOOR OF THE SANTO
DOMINGO CHURCH AND MANY MORE.
”PORTRAIT OF A
LADY (MI NOVIA /
PORTRAIT OF PAZ
PARDO DE TAVERA)
(1885)”
ARTIST: JUAN LUNA Y NOVICIO
LOCATION: GALLERY III, SOUTH WING
GALLERIES, LEVEL 2 (HOUSE FLOOR)

UNLIKE JUAN LUNA’S “SPOLIARIUM,” “PORTRAIT OF A LADY” IS NOT FOUR METERS

TALL AND SEVEN METERS WIDE, BUT THIS PIECE HAS ITS OWN STORY TO TELL. IT
FEATURES A BEAUTIFUL PIOUS WOMAN IN BED THAT CERTAINLY DRAWS YOUR EYE,
WHILE THE HISTORY SURROUNDING THE SUBJECT IS JUST AS NOTEWORTHY. PAST
OWNERS OF THE PAINTING WERE RUMORED TO HAVE MET MISFORTUNE SHORTLY AFTER
PURCHASING THIS SPECIFIC PAINTING, INCLUDING IMELDA MARCOS—ITS LAST KNOWN
OWNER.

“LA BARCA DE ARTIST: FELIX RESURRECCION HIDALGO

LOCATION: GALLERY III, SOUTH WING
AQUERONTE” (1887) GALLERIES, LEVEL 2 (HOUSE FLOOR)

ALSO KNOWN AS “THE BOAT OF CHARON,”

THIS PIECE WAS INSPIRED BY DANTE
ALIGHIERI’S INFERNO WHICH FELIX
HIDALGO READ WHILE HE WAS IN ITALY.
IT’S A VERY GRAPHIC PAINTING THAT
SHOWS HOW CHARON MERCILESSLY USHERED
CONDEMNED SOULS TO THE PLACE OF
THEIR ETERNAL DAMNATION. THIS
PAINTING WON HIDALGO A PLETHORA OF
AWARDS IN THE 19TH CENTURY,
CEMENTING HIS PLACE AS ONE OF THE
GREAT FILIPINO PAINTERS IN HISTORY.

HE ALSO PAINTED “LA LAGUNA ESTIGIA” (OR “THE RIVER STYX”) BASED ON THE
SAME ALIGHIERI CLASSIC. LOOK FOR THIS PIECE AFTER SEEING HIDALGO'S MOST
NOTABLE PAINTING IN THE MUSEUM, "EL ASESINATO DEL GOBERNADOR BUSTAMANTE,"
WHICH IS DISPLAYED OPPOSITE "SPOLIARIUM."
“RECUERDO DE
PATAY
(MEMENTO
MORI) OF A
CHILD” (1896)
ARTIST: SIMON FLORES Y DE LA ROSA
LOCATION: FUNDACION SANTIAGO GALLERY
(GALLERY IV), SOUTH WING GALLERIES, LEVEL 2
(HOUSE FLOOR)

“THE BURNING OF MANILA” (1942)
ARTIST: FERNANDO AMORSOLO Y
CUETO
LOCATION: SILVINA & JUAN C. LAYA
HALL (GALLERY VIII), NORTH WING
GALLERIES, LEVEL 2 (HOUSE FLOOR)
FERNANDO AMORSOLO WAS A KNOWN
PORTRAITIST AND A PAINTER OF
RURAL FILIPINO LIFE, BUT THERE
WAS AN OBVIOUS SHIFT IN HIS
WORKS DURING WORLD WAR II. WHERE
HE USED TO PAINT IDYLLIC
LANDSCAPES AND BEAUTIFUL
FILIPINA WOMEN, HE SHIFTED TO

DEPICTING THE DESTRUCTION CAUSED
YOU DON’T OFTEN SEE PAINTINGS OF BY WAR. IN THIS PIECE, MANILA IS
THE DEAD, LET ALONE PAINTINGS OF RAVAGED AND ALMOST ENGULFED IN
DEAD CHILDREN. THE TITLE GIVES IT FLAMES. UPON CLOSER INSPECTION,
AWAY, BUT IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHAT YOU CAN ALSO SEE FILIPINOS
THIS PAINTING WAS CALLED, YOU MIGHT FLEEING FROM THE SCENE, CARRYING
ONLY SEE IT AS A SLEEPING CHILD. THEIR MEAGER POSSESSIONS.
THIS PIECE BY SIMON FLORES IS
PARTICULARLY EERIE, WITH THE CHILD ARTIST: FERNANDO AMORSOLO Y CUETO
SERENELY LYING IN A SMALL BED, IN LOCATION: SILVINA & JUAN C. LAYA HALL
HIS BEST CLOTHES, ADORNED WITH (GALLERY VIII), NORTH WING GALLERIES, LEVEL
2 (HOUSE FLOOR)
FRESH FLOWERS, AND THE SHADOW OF A

SMILE ON HIS FACE. DURING THE 19TH

CENTURY, COMMISSIONING PAINTINGS
LIKE THESE WAS A POPULAR WAY TO
“THE BURNING
REMEMBER A RECENTLY DECEASED LOVED
ONE.
OF MANILA”
(1942)
“THE RAPE “THE PROGRESS
AND OF MEDICINE IN
MASSACRE IN THE PHILIPPINES”
ERMITA”(1947 (1953)
) ARTIST: CARLOS “BOTONG” FRANCISCO
LOCATION: MUSEUM FOUNDATION OF THE
PHILIPPINES HALL (GALLERY X), NORTH WING
GALLERIES, LEVEL 2 (HOUSE FLOOR)

“THE PROGRESS OF MEDICINE IN THE

PHILIPPINES” (1953)
ARTIST: DIOSDADO M. LORENZO ARTIST: CARLOS “BOTONG” FRANCISCO
LOCATION: SILVINA & JUAN C. LAYA HALL
(GALLERY VIII), NORTH WING GALLERIES, LEVEL LOCATION: MUSEUM FOUNDATION OF THE
2 (HOUSE FLOOR) PHILIPPINES HALL (GALLERY X), NORTH WING

GALLERIES, LEVEL 2 (HOUSE FLOOR)
CREATED BY CELEBRATED MURALIST CARLOS
WITH BRIGHT AND STRIKING COLORS—
“BOTONG” FRANCISCO, “THE PROGRESS OF
A STYLE DIOSDADO M. LORENZO IS MEDICINE IN THE PHILIPPINES” IS A SERIES
KNOWN FOR, THIS PARTICULARLY OF FOUR PAINTINGS ORIGINALLY COMMISSIONED
HAUNTING IMAGE OF VIOLENCE TO BE ON DISPLAY AT THE PHILIPPINE GENERAL
IMMEDIATELY CATCHES YOUR HOSPITAL. IT DEPICTS THE FASCINATING
ATTENTION. IT DEPICTS A TYPICAL EVOLUTION OF THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE IN
SCENARIO DURING WORLD WAR II THE COUNTRY, FROM TRIBAL PRACTICES TO THE
WHERE IMPERIAL JAPANESE SOLDIERS RISE OF MODERN MEDICINE IN THE '50S. ONCE
ATTACK A FILIPINO HOME IN PUT ON DISPLAY AT THE PHILIPPINE GENERAL
HOSPITAL (PGH) LOBBY, THESE PAINTINGS WERE
ERMITA. LORENZO SHOWED WITH
CONSTANTLY EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS,
HARROWING CLARITY HOW FILIPINO
REQUIRING THEM TO UNDERGO RESTORATION.
MEN WERE SLAIN, WOMEN WERE EVENTUALLY, THEY WERE MOVED TO THE
RAPED, AND HELPLESS CHILDREN NATIONAL MUSEUM. HIGH-QUALITY REPLICAS OF
WERE ORPHANED WHEN JAPANESE THESE PAINTINGS ARE STILL ON DISPLAY AT
SOLDIERS ATTACKED. THE PGH.

“THE PROGRESS OF MEDICINE IN

THE PHILIPPINES” (1953)

THIS IS A SET OF FOUR LARGE PAINTINGS BY NATIONAL ARTIST CARLOS “BOTONG”

V. FRANCISCO. THEY WERE SPECIALLY COMMISSIONED FOR THE ENTRANCE HALL OF
THE PHILIPPINE GENERAL HOSPITAL IN 1953. THESE IMPORTANT WORKS ARE ON
INDEFINITE LOAN TO THE NATIONAL MUSEUM BY THE UNIVERSITY OF THE
PHILIPPINES TO SECURE THEIR PRESERVATION FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. BOTONG
IS ALSO THE MURALIST BEHIND FAMOUS ARTWORKS SUCH AS THE FIRST MASS IN
LIMASAWA AND THE MARTYRDOM OF RIZAL.

“THE TRAGIC
FALL OF
BATAAN” (1957)
ARTIST: GENE CABRERA
LOCATION: SILVINA & JUAN C. LAYA HALL
(GALLERY VIII), NORTH WING GALLERIES, LEVEL
2 (HOUSE FLOOR)

IN GENE CABRERA’S PAINTING, THE SKULLS STARE OUT INTO THE AUDIENCE
AS A REMINDER OF THE DEVASTATION THAT CAN OCCUR WHEN PEOPLE ARE AT
WAR, TAKE FOR EXAMPLE THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO WERE STILL AT THEIR
PRIME WHEN CONFLICT STRUCK THE PHILIPPINES. THE TITLE “A TRAGIC
LESSON” GIVES IT NEWFOUND RELEVANCE IN THESE TUMULTUOUS TIMES,
REMINDING THOSE WHO VIEW IT THAT WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE AND THIS IS
WHAT HAPPENED.
“NOLI ME
TANGERE” (1984)
ARTIST: LEONARDO CRUZ
LOCATION: GALLERY V, SOUTH WING
GALLERIES, LEVEL 2 (HOUSE FLOOR)

GALLERY V OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM IS

DEDICATED TO ARTWORKS INSPIRED BY JOSE
RIZAL. AMIDST ALL THE PORTRAITS DONE BY
MANY PROMINENT ARTISTS, THIS MESMERIZING
PIECE BY LEONARDO CRUZ COMBINES SCENES
FROM ONE OF THE HERO’S MOST IMPORTANT
LITERARY WORKS, NOLI ME TANGERE. CRUZ
WAS SO INSPIRED BY THE NOVEL THAT HE
CREATED A SERIES OF 28 PAINTINGS
DEPICTING SCENES FROM THE BOOK.

“DOOMED
FAMILY” (1945)
ARTIST: DOMINADOR CASTANEDA
LOCATION: SILVINA & JUAN C. LAYA HALL
(GALLERY VIII), NORTH WING GALLERIES, LEVEL
2 (HOUSE FLOOR)

A CONTEMPORARY OF AMORSOLO,
DOMINADOR CASTANEDA ALSO PAINTED
ABOUT THE ATROCITIES OF WORLD WAR
II. IN THIS PARTICULARLY HARROWING
PIECE, A DEAD FILIPINA LIES EXPOSED
WHILE THE REST OF THE FAMILY ARE
BOUND AND BRUISED. THROUGH THIS
PAINTING AND OTHER PIECES OF ITS
TIME, ARTISTS DEPICT THE HORRORS OF
WAR AS A PERSONAL ONE. THERE WERE
MASS CASUALTIES, YES, BUT THE MOST
CHILLING ATTACKS HAPPEN WHEN THEY
STRUCK INSIDE THE HOMES.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_M
https://www.sothebys.com/en/museums/national-museum-of-
natural-history-1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Museum_of_Natural_H
istory_(Manila)
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/the-the-national-
museum/
https://museu.ms/museum/details/16724/national-museum-of-
the-philippines
https://www.spot.ph/arts-culture/the-latest-arts-
culture/71542/national-museum-of-fine-arts-a1818-20170926-
lfrm
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/art/05/18/21/10-
important-filipino-artworks-you-can-only-see-at-the-
national-museum
https://xsmultimedia.com/2022/05/20/10-important-pieces-
youll-find-at-the-national-museum/
https://www.tatlerasia.com/power-purpose/ideas-
education/things-to-know-national-museum