The Museum of the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana in Quito

Modern Art and Musical Instruments
Fine pieces of Ecuadorian modern art, and a most interesting collection of musical instruments from all over the world, are exhibited at the Museum of the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana in Quito.

As you enter the museum, you first encounter an important collection of Ecuadorian paintings of the XIX Century with a variety of themes: religious, portraits, landscapes, among others. A piece worth admiring is "The Calvary" by the artist Joaquín Pinto, painted in a Sucre cent (Sucre was the official currency of Ecuador before dollarization in the year 1999).

Continuing the visit, you find the Pedro León Exhibit Room, which is considered the most important collection of the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana. It holds 87 works of art by some of the most renowned Ecuadorian artists: Oswaldo Guayasamín, Eduardo Kingman, and Camilo Egas, among others.

In this section you will also find a few paintings by foreign artists. Continue to the Diógenes Paredes Exhibit Room, with a collection of contemporary art: abstract, informal and other modern tendencies, including sculpture; many of these art works have been awarded in different contests and Biennales.

Following is the Musical Instruments Museum. This museum is named after Pedro Pablo Traversari, who managed to gather this most interesting sample of 540 instruments of various origins. Many of the displayed instruments date to pre-Columbian times in Ecuador and other South American countries, and others are more contemporary but representative of native cultures of the Americas. The display also holds other instruments from all over the world. Some of the most interesting pieces include: quenas made of human bones, rondadores manufactured with condor feathers, drums made with carapaces of animals and sonajeros made of seeds of the Amazonia and toucan beaks.

Next to this exhibit you find an important Ethnographic Display of different indigenous communities of the Ecuadorian Andes, all of which still keep their dress and traditions alive.

The halls between the collections mentioned above display two interesting collections: one of portraits of important social figures of Ecuador, and the other of engravings. The museum also includes a temporary exhibit room for national and international exhibits.

Address: Los Espejos Bldg, located between: 6 de Diciembre, 12 de Octubre and Patria Avenues. There is an entrance at each of the avenues.

Open Tuesday thru Friday from 9h00 to 13h00 and from 14h00 to 17h00 / Saturdays from 10h00 to 14h00.

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