Art and Culture in Cuenca
Museums in Cuenca
Central Bank Museum
Located on Huayna Capac Ave. across from Calle Larga. Archeological objects, colonial and republic art collections, paintings and old photographs of the city can be seen here. There is a strong emphasis on objects from the pre-Incan periods of Cuenca’s region.
Remigio Crespo Toral Museum
707 Calle Larga and Borrero St. The museum is named after the famous poet Remigio Crespo Toral. It has an interesting collection of gold objects from the Cañari and Chordeleg cultures. There are also pre-Hispanic ceramics, colonial paintings and religious art. The museum is divided into four departments: Archeology, Cuenca’s Foundation, the City’s Independence and historical documents.
CIDAP (Centro Interamericano de Artes Populares) Museum
Calle Larga and Hermano Miguel streets. This museum is devoted to the handicrafts of South America. It contains art, crafts and beautiful folklore pieces on temporary exhibitions.
Las Conceptas Museum
633 Hermano Miguel St. Here you will find a great collection of religious art. It exhibits 64 paintings, more than 200 sculptures, toys, furniture and craftsmanship.
Modern Art Museum
It is located on 1527 Calle Sucre and Coronel Talbot. In this museum there is a permanent collection of contemporary art. There are many artistic activities available for children and the Biannual International Painting Competition is held here.
Native Cultures Museum
Calle Larga #524 entre Hermano Miguel y Mariano Cueva. This museum was built as homage to the Ecuadorian indigenous cultures and their 15,000 years of existence. The museum holds archeological pieces from the first indigenous civilizations in Ecuador, to those that lived in the XVI century, in more than 5,000 impressive pieces!
Eduardo Vega’s Workshop and Gallery.
On the hill of Turi, over viewing the city, 10 minutes by car from downtown Cuenca, we find a beautiful place where the re-known Ecuadorian artist Eduardo Vega has his house, his workshop and gallery. His specialties are artistic ceramics. The visitor can admire his latest creations ranging from mugs, plaques, jewelry, and plates up to wonderful murals that show the lushness of Ecuadorian landscape, costumes, flora and fauna. You can also find good books, and complimentary coffee and biscuits.