The National Museum of Fine Arts ( fil, Pambansang Museo ng Sining), formerly known as the National Art Gallery, is an
art museum
An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own Collection (artwork), collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. ...
in
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...
, Philippines. It is located on
Padre Burgos Avenue across from the
National Museum of Anthropology
The National Museum of Anthropology ( es, Museo Nacional de Antropología, MNA) is a national museum of Mexico. It is the largest and most visited museum in Mexico. Located in the area between Paseo de la Reforma and Mahatma Gandhi Street wit ...
in the eastern side of
Rizal Park. The museum, owned and operated by the
National Museum of the Philippines
The National Museum of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Museo ng Pilipinas}) is an umbrella government organization that oversees a number of national museums in the Philippines including ethnographic, anthropological, archaeological, and visu ...
, was founded in 1998 and houses a collection of paintings and sculptures by classical Filipino artists such as
Juan Luna
Juan Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta (, ; October 23, 1857 – December 7, 1899) was a Filipino painter, sculptor and a political activist of the Philippine Revolution during the late 19th century. He became one of the first recogni ...
,
Félix Resurrección Hidalgo and
Guillermo Tolentino.
The
neoclassical building was built in 1921 and originally served to house the various legislative bodies of the Philippine government. Known as the ''Old Legislative Building'' (also the ''Old Congress Building''), it was the home of the bicameral congress from 1926 to 1972, and the
Philippine Senate from 1987 to 1997.
History
The building was originally designed by the Bureau of Public Works (precursor of the
Department of Public Works and Highways
The Department of Public Works and Highways ( fil, Kagawaran ng mga Pagawain at Lansangang Bayan}), abbreviated as DPWH, is the executive department of the Philippine government solely vested with the Mandate to “be the State's engineering ...
) Consulting Architect Ralph Harrington Doane
and Antonio Toledo in 1918, and was intended to be the future home of the
National Library of the Philippines, according to the Plan of Manila of
Daniel H. Burnham
Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the '' Beaux-Arts'' movement, he may have been, "the most successful power broker the American architectural profession has ...
.
Meanwhile, a Capitol building for the
Philippine Legislature (established on October 16, 1916) was to rise on Wallace Field, just south of the library (the location is now María Y. Orosa Street in
Rizal Park). Instead, the Philippine Legislature decided to move into the Library building in 1926, and changes to the building's layout were done accordingly by architect
Juan M. Arellano.
It was built under the supervision of the
architecture firm
In the United States, an architectural firm or architecture firm is a business that employs one or more licensed architects and practices the profession of architecture; while in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark and other countr ...
of
Pedro Siochi and Company and the building therefore became known as the Legislative Building. The Second Regular Session of the
7th Philippine Legislature was formally opened on the inauguration of the building on July 16, 1926 in the presence of Governor-General
Leonard Wood
Leonard Wood (October 9, 1860 – August 7, 1927) was a United States Army major general, physician, and public official. He served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Military Governor of Cuba, and Governor-General of the Philip ...
, then Senate President
Manuel L. Quezon, House Speaker
Manuel Roxas
Manuel Acuña Roxas (born Manuel Roxas y Acuña; ; January 1, 1892 – April 15, 1948) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the fifth president of the Philippines, who served from 1946 until his death due to heart attacks in 19 ...
, and Colonel
Carmi A. Thompson
Carmi Alderman Thompson (September 4, 1870 – June 22, 1942) was an American attorney and Republican politician in the U.S. state of Ohio who was Speaker of the Ohio House and Ohio Secretary of State from 1907 to 1911. He also fought in the Spa ...
, envoy of President
Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a Republican lawyer from New England who climbed up the ladder of Ma ...
of the United States.
It was concurrently the headquarters of the National Library from 1928 to 1944.
In 1935, the
Commonwealth of the Philippines
The Commonwealth of the Philippines ( es, Commonwealth de Filipinas or ; tl, Komonwelt ng Pilipinas) was the administrative body that governed the Philippines from 1935 to 1946, aside from a period of exile in the Second World War from 1942 ...
was proclaimed, and the inauguration of
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...
Manuel L. Quezon were held outside the building. The building became home of the
National Assembly of the Philippines, and it was subsequently known as the National Assembly Building. In 1940, the National Assembly was replaced by a bicameral
Congress of the Philippines
The Congress of the Philippines ( fil, Kongreso ng Pilipinas, italic=unset) is the legislature of the national government of the Philippines. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, although colloquially the te ...
, consisting of a Senate and House of Representatives. The Senate occupied the upper floors while the House occupied the lower floors. The building would serve as home of the Commonwealth Congress until 1945.
In
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, Japanese forces in Manila bombed and destroyed the building in February 1945.
Most of the structure was beyond repair, except for the still-standing central portion.
With the inauguration of the
Republic of the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
in 1946, the building was reconstructed to be the home of Congress. It was rebuilt by the U.S. Philippine War Damage Corporation to the same dimensions but with less interior and exterior ornamentation.
Reconstruction began in 1949, while the Congress moved back the same year. The two wings of the building were completed in 1950.
The building was rebuilt mostly from memory, with the aid of a few remaining blueprints.
The building became known as the Congress Building, and continuously served as home of the
Congress of the Philippines
The Congress of the Philippines ( fil, Kongreso ng Pilipinas, italic=unset) is the legislature of the national government of the Philippines. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, although colloquially the te ...
until 1972 with the
declaration of martial law. The Congress was effectively dissolved, and the building was padlocked. For a short time, the building became home of the offices of the
Prime Minister of the Philippines
The prime minister of the Philippines was the official designation of the head of the government (whereas the president of the Philippines was the head of state) of the Philippines from 1978 until the People Power Revolution in 1986. During ...
, a position established under the 1973
Constitution of the Philippines
The Constitution of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'', Spanish: ''Constitución de la República de Filipinas'') is the constitution or the supreme law of the Republic of the Philipp ...
, on the fourth floor, the
Ombudsman on the third floor, the
National Museum
A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numbe ...
on the second floor, and the
Sandiganbayan on the ground floor.
The building was called the Executive House for the duration of that time.
The
Congress of the Philippines
The Congress of the Philippines ( fil, Kongreso ng Pilipinas, italic=unset) is the legislature of the national government of the Philippines. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, although colloquially the te ...
was reestablished with the ratification of the 1987
Constitution of the Philippines
The Constitution of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'', Spanish: ''Constitución de la República de Filipinas'') is the constitution or the supreme law of the Republic of the Philipp ...
. While the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
moved to the
Batasang Pambansa Complex
The Batasang Pambansa Complex, or simply the Batasan (), is the seat of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. It is located along the Batasan Road in Batasan Hills, Quezon City.
The complex was initially the home of the Batasa ...
in Constitution Hill,
Quezon City
Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,960,048 people. It was foun ...
, the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...
used the original Congress Building for their plenary sessions.
The Senate would use the Congress Building until May 1997, when it moved to the
Government Service Insurance System Building on reclaimed land on
Manila Bay
Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Phi ...
in
Pasay
Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 440,656 people.
Due to its location j ...
. The former office of the Prime Minister was taken as the Office of the
Vice President
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is o ...
.
The building was then turned over to the
National Museum of the Philippines
The National Museum of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Museo ng Pilipinas}) is an umbrella government organization that oversees a number of national museums in the Philippines including ethnographic, anthropological, archaeological, and visu ...
in 1998.
On September 30, 2010, the
National Historical Commission of the Philippines
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas, abbreviated NHCP) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural herit ...
declared the building as a "National Historical Landmark" by virtue of ''Resolution No. 8'' (dated September 30, 2010).
A marker commemorating the declaration was unveiled on October 29, 2010.
The collection
The museum contains a number of important works, including:
References
External links
Arkitekturang Filipino - www.arkitektura.ph - National Museum of the Philippines Building (Old Congress Building)History of the Senate of the PhilippinesHistory of the House of Representatives of the Philippines - Former BuildingsNHCP declares Old Legislative Building as National Historical Landmark
{{Philippine Registry of Cultural Property
National Museum of the Philippines
Buildings and structures in Ermita
Museums in Manila
Cultural Properties of the Philippines in Metro Manila
National Historical Landmarks of the Philippines
Neoclassical architecture in the Philippines
Juan M. Arellano buildings
Asian art museums
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...