BenCab Museum

After we picked strawberries in La Trinidad, we headed to BenCab Museum.

BenCab Museum is on Km. 6 Asin Road, a brief 15-minute drive from the center of Baguio City. Built on a promontory, the museum commands a breathtaking view of the adjacent organic garden, farm, hill and mini-forest, the surrounding mountains, and the South China sea in the distant west.

With its vision of bringing arts closer to the people, the museum houses the artist’s collections of his own works, as well as those of acknowledged Filipino masters and rising contemporary artists. The granary gods, lime containers, native implements, weapons and other outstanding examples of indigenous arts and crafts of the Cordilleras are also highlighted – a reminder of the rich material culture and traditions of the northern Philippine highlands that has fascinated BenCab since the 1960s, and part of the reason why he has made Baguio home since the mid-80s.

Bencab Museum is committed to the promotion of the arts, and the preservation, conservation and protection of the environment, as well as the culture and traditions of the Cordilleras, as an expression of the artist’s gratitude to the country that nurtured and inspired an artistic career that continues to grow, mature and fascinate.

The museum houses the permanent collection of Philippine National Artist Benedicto Cabrera (BenCab) in several galleries, as well as venues for art shows and exhibitions. The Philippine Contemporary Art Galleries highlight the artist’s collection of paintings, drawings, prints, and sculpture. The smaller exhibition rooms contain other collections accumulated by BenCab through the years.

Café Sabel, which overlooks the forest and duck pond, offers fresh and natural food in an ambiance that will refresh your palates and feed your soul.

The Farm & Garden below the museum showcase organic farm produce and the typical indigenous architecture of the Ifugao, Kalinga and Bontoc. A river meanders through the property, with cascading waterfalls on one end. The hill and mini forest across, which features an eco trail, is also the source of fresh spring water used in the museum and farm. The artist, assisted by native coworkers, grows seasonal vegetables, herbs, strawberries, sweet potatoes, coffee and ornamentals. There is an aviary housing peacocks and various birds, and a veritable animal farm with ducks, geese, turkeys, and other local livestock.

The Museum Shop sells art books, paper products such as postcards, and notepads, highland art & crafts such as wood carvings and textiles as well as other souvenir items from t-shirts, and caps.

The BenCab Museum is a project of the BenCab Art Foundation, a non-stock organization that supports activities related to the arts and environment.

Benedicto Reyes Cabrera or BenCab, as he is more popularly known is widely hailed as a master of contemporary Philippine art. He was born in Manila on April 10, 1942 in Malabon, Philippines. He is the youngest of nine children born to Democrito Cabrera and Isabel Reyes of Pampanga. BenCab began carving a niche for himself in Manila’s art circles shortly after receiving his bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of the Philippines in 1963. A painter and printmaker, he has exhibited widely in the Philippines and in Asia, Europe, and the United States. He has won several major art awards in a career spanning four decades.

If you have been to BenCab Museum, which part of the museum is your favorite and why?