BenCab Museum is the house that art built as one writer puts it. And indeed it is, it has everything an art lover wants, paintings, sketches, prints, sculptures, installations, carvings, and everything else in between.

The museum is divided into nine galleries, an outdoor space for sculpture exhibit and a function room for film showings and meetings.

The BenCab Gallery is where BenCab houses his four decades of work that earned him a National Artist award in 2006. The Cordillera Gallery on the other hand has his collection of everything Northern Highlands; Cordillera carvings, furniture, baskets, tools, weapons and what-nots.

A gallery for noted Philippine artists is roomed in the Maestro Gallery but is not as popular with the masses as the Erotica Gallery which features works the MTRCB would definitely rate as Restricted (children are not allowed inside).

The Print Gallery exhibits photographs and prints both vintage and modern (I especially dig the vintage ones). On our first visit at the museum, they were exhibiting prints by BenCab himself and on this last visit, Philippine vista prints circa18th and 19th century. Really interesting stuff. 

Two galleries are dedicated to contemporary arts, aptly named the Philippine Contemporary Art Gallery 1 & 2. I’m not sure if these are BenCab’s personal collection but they seemed unchanged from our two separate visits, so I’m assuming they are.

The museum also has galleries for rotating exhibitions; the Sepia Gallery, which currently houses an exhibit by Ofelia Gelvezon-Tequi on Stoneware Pottery, the Gallery Indigo, and the Patio Salvador, which is an open area for sculpture shows.

Through all these galleries lies the hub of the museum, BenCab’s bulol collection. 21 pieces (if my count was correct) of unique and original Cordillera Rice Gods. There are a lot more bulols in the Cordillera Gallery but I think these are his most prized ones.

It would take hours to take in everything BenCab’s museum has to offer, so if you plan to check the place out, I suggest you visit early and let BenCab’s temple infuse art into thy soul.

 

 

 

BenCab Musuem
Address: Km. 6 Asin Road, Tadiangan, Tuba, Benguet
Contact Number: (074) 442-7165 | Website: http://bencabmuseum.org/
Museum hours: Open daily except Mondays, Christmas & New Year 9:00am - 6:00pm