Art and Culture in Quito
- Museums in Quito
Central Bank Museum
It is located at the Casa de la Cultura (Cultural House) on 6 de Diciembre and Patria Avenues. Pre-Colonial, Colonial and contemporary Art appears in 1,417 pieces exhibited permanently and in itinerary and temporary displays. It also presents an opportunity to learn about our origin, evolution and history.
City Museum
Located at García Moreno 572 and Rocafuerte (colonial Quito)
Follow Quito’s everyday life through the centuries in the beautiful colonial building converted into the "Museo de la Ciudad" (City Museum). The museum is in the interior of the building that once was the San Juan de Dios Hospital (1565) and includes an exhibit of the city’s history throughout the centuries, from pre-Hispanic times to the nineteenth century.
María Augusta Urrutia Museum
Located at García Moreno 760 (colonial Quito). Follow along the life and activities of a wealthy and very generous woman of Quito’s early XXth century. Observe the architecture of a typical house in colonial Quito. Enjoy the beautifully decorated interiors (especially the French antiques), and the distinctive clothing and artifacts of the time.
Guayasamín Museum and " La Capilla del Hombre " ( Man’s Chapel )
A stop at Guayasamin´s house-museum is a must to any visitor in Quito. This museum exhibits an excellent sample of pre-Columbian, colonial and contemporary art from the private collections of the famous Ecuadorian artist Oswaldo Guayasamín (1919-1999). Shortly before his death, Oswaldo Guayasamín donated these collections and his works to the city of Quito.
La Capilla del Hombre ( Man’s Chapel )
Was inaugurated last November. Guayasamín dreamed with this chapel to pay tribute to the American pre-Columbian man, who has quietly kept 500 years of resistance and still struggles to recover his values. The artist started the construction of this Chapel on 1995, but unfortunately he died before his masterpiece was concluded. With the effort of his heirs, through the Guayasamín Foundation, the artist’s dream is coming alive. The Chapel itself occupies about 4,000 meters of construction. It is a rectangular construction of two floors, with a strong similarity to Incan temples. On the top it has a dome covered by copper plate, which on its inside is covered by an unconcluded mural of the artist, which will be left intact. Murals that were supposed to narrate the history of the American Man were not concluded, however, the Chapel will hold some of Guayasamín's work as well as that of other well-known Latin-American artists, from Pre-Columbian to contemporary. The altar of the Chapel holds an eternal flame in defense of peace and human rights.