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| A glimpse inside the National Museum of Anthropology. (PIA-NCR File Photo) |
by: Janna Marie Pineda
QUEZON CITY, (PIA) – The National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) Central Complex in Manila and all its regional component museums in the country will now be open to the public daily starting January 2025.
“Universal access has always been our priority. By opening our museums every day and maintaining free admission, we aim to make our programs and services even more accessible to everybody,” said the NMP in an online post following the announcement.
The central complex or the main museums of the NMP in Manila is composed of the National Museum of Fine Arts, National Museum of Anthropology, and the National Museum of Natural History.
Meanwhile, the NMP maintains a total of sixteen (16) regional, area, and site museums outside Metro Manila which also comprise of equally important art collections in terms of its national artistic, cultural, and natural heritage significance.
One of the newest additions to the NMP National Fine Arts Collections is the “Josephine Sleeping” clay sculpture by Dr. Jose Rizal which was unveiled for the first time alongside the commemoration of the 128th anniversary of his martyrdom on December 30, 2024.
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| The National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) unveils the clay sculpture "Josephine Sleeping" of Dr. Jose Rizal. (Photo Courtesy of NMP) |
Dr. Jose Rizal created the clay sculpture of his last love, Josephine Bracken, during his exile in Dapitan. Dubbed as “Rizal’s Mona Lisa,” the NMP highlighted how this artwork offered a glimpse into the humanity of Rizal.
Rizal married Josephine Bracken in his death row cell a few hours before his execution at Bagumbayan on December 30, 1896. By exhibiting the clay sculpture which is believed to be one of the hero’s final artworks, the NMP hopes to immortalize the legacy of Dr. Jose Rizal whose contributions to Philippine history and culture is unparalleled as a prominent figure in the realization of the Filipino propaganda movement in the late 19th century.
The “Josephine Sleeping” is exhibited at the Spolarium Hall together with the other artworks of Dr. Jose Rizal in Gallery V “Inspiring the Nation, Dr. Jose Rizal: The National Hero in Art” at the National Museum of Fine Arts.
The regular operating hours of the NMP Central Complex is from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (JMP/PIA-NCR)
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