"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." Thomas Merton couldn't be more right when he said this. That's exactly what I've experienced when we visited Pinto Art Museum. I don't claim to be an expert on the intricacies and how artists go through the process of creating their artworks. And I think that what makes Art really magical, you don't need to know it, you just fall in love with it.

Pinto means door in Filipino, and the museum aims to be a gateway for modern and contemporary art. This beautiful contemporary art space is situated on a 1.2 hectare property also known as Silangan Gardens located inside a private subdivision in Antipolo, Rizal. According to Mr. Andy Orencio, one of the tourist guides, Pinto Art Museum is owned by Dr. Joven Cuanang. And with a big heart to arts and artists as well, Dr. Cuanang opened his doors by providing a place for the artists to show their artworks. The rest house turned museum houses 7 art open-air-galleries. (Yes, it's an open-air museum so I suggest you wear light fabric pieces when you visit the museum.)

Walking around the mediterranean-villa-inspired museum is a visual treat. Every corner reveals something interesting. With antique doorways and windows, quirky art pieces and picturesque landscape, no wonder this museum is popular for local tourists and also a usual choice for pre-nuptial shoots and pictorials. Every angle is Instagram-worthy, so even if you are just armed with a cellphone camera I'm sure you'll take countless photos. It was refreshing to see art pieces not only hanging on the walls, but integrated in the seating areas and gardens as art installations.

I know once you get to visit the museum, you'll never want to stop checking and photographing all the art pieces. Don't worry cause when you feel like your stomach is ranting, you can dine inside the museum. There are two areas to eat, Pinto Cafe in the garden area and Cafe Tan-aw both by Peppermill. The restaurant serves a wide range of dishes including appetisers, pizza, salad, soup, Japanese cuisine, pasta, sandwiches, main courses and desserts. They have refreshing juices as well, green mango smoothie is my favourite. The food is really good but a bit pricey.

Pinto Art Museum is a definite must-visit tourist spot. I'd rank this as one of the top places to check out near the metro.

For inquiries about Museum and Photoshoot rates, please check their website www.pintoartmuseum.com or email them at pintoartmuseum@yahoo.com, you can also call them at (632) 687-1015