Opening the Doors to Art at Pinto

PINTO ART MUSEUM – I have lived in Antipolo since I was born. I’ve heard of Pinto maybe once or twice in my lifetime. What I didn’t know is that this place that people are talking about is a huge haven of art. I have never seen anything like it, and I’m quite surprised that it’s located right in the city where I live.

Pinto (which directly translated from tagalog means “door”) was originally built in 2001 as a “storage space for artworks”. From then on, it has been developed into a museum and has housed several major art exhibits and shows.

The beauty about Pinto is that the place is an art in itself. The architecture of the different gallery sections were gorgeous, the garden peaceful.

This is something one can only pull off in the middle of upper Antipolo.

I went with a couple of cousins, sisters and a friend. We all live in the area, and it was our first time.

The regular door fee is P150. For students, it’s P75, but you must have an ID. If only I knew that! My cousins were just high school kids and we had to pay the regular rate.

The sections of the gallery are divided among different “houses” for lack of a better word to describe them. Each “house” has its own surprises for its guests.

It took us approximately 2-3 hours to go around and see all that is exhibit. If you are the type who stares and inhales individual works of art, that might not be enough.

The museum breathes art and breeds art. It’s just full of it, inside and out.

The place is a visual treat.

For both young and old.

After the tour, most visitors would hang out at the Pinto Cafe, which is actually Bizu.

Or sit around enjoying the garden view.

Or, in our case, take turns hanging out on the life-sized rocking horse.

Pinto Art Museum is not very easy to find, especially for non-Antipolo residents. A map and/or a very good sense of direction will be useful. It’s also maybe more than an hour away, especially for southerners, but I highly recommend this. And if you don’t want to take my word, visit Trip Advisor for me right now and see what others say.

Art enthusiast or not, drive those darned hours and see this place.

 

How to get to Pinto (from their website):

From Manila or Quezon City or Makati, take the Ortigas Avenue from EDSA and proceed to Ortigas Extension passing through Cainta Junction and to Tikling. Proceed to the hills until you reach the Ynares Center. Turn on the first street to your right, to a hill then follow this to the Grand Heights gate.

 

For more info, visit: http://www.freewebs.com/pintoartgallery/ourinformation.htm