BenCab Museum

The painter Benedicto Cabrera built this on a slope above the Asin road, and it works as two things at once. Inside are galleries of his own work, including the long-running Sabel figure, and rooms of contemporary Philippine painting and sculpture he has collected. Below those is the Cordillera gallery: bulul rice granary figures, ritual boxes, spoons, shields and textiles from the mountain provinces, shown as objects with function rather than curiosities. The building steps down the hillside, so the back windows open onto a ravine of pine and vegetable terraces, and a path leads down to a duck pond and a small farm plot.

History

Construction of the building began in 2006, and the National Artist Benedicto Cabrera founded the museum in 2009, run by the BenCab Art Foundation, to house his own collection: his works, Cordilleran indigenous art he felt was underappreciated, erotica, and works by other artists he admired (Wikipedia, BenCab Museum).

What to look for

• The Cordillera gallery - bulul carvings, ritual boxes and shields from the mountain provinces.
• The Sabel works - the artist's long series built around a single recurring figure.
• The contemporary rooms - painting and sculpture collected from Philippine artists over decades.
• The ravine terrace and trail - a path down the slope to a pond and vegetable plots behind the building.

When to go

November to April is Baguio's dry season; the rest of the year brings long mountain rain and the ravine trail turns to mud. Open most days with one closing day midweek. Mornings are clearer before the afternoon cloud comes up the valley. Baguio fills at Christmas and during the February flower festival.

What to expect

It is a taxi ride out of town and back, and Asin Road traffic is slow. The trail below is genuinely muddy and steep after rain, so it is often not worth attempting. The permanent hang changes and a favourite work may not be up. The cafe is busy at lunch and the queue spills into the gallery entrance. Baguio itself is cold, crowded and congested in season.

Nearby

Baguio's market and Session Road are in town; the Asin hot springs are further along the same road.

Key facts