Blanco Family Museum & BRKD Café in Angono, Rizal

Kara Santos

3 years ago

When you think of museums to visit in Rizal, the Instagram hotspots of Pinto Art Museum and Art Sector Gallery and Chimney Café are the first two museums that immediately come to mind. But it’s always nice to visit and revisit the older and more established museums around the country.

One of the most enduring museums in Angono is the Blanco Family Museum, which houses the vast collection of artwork produced by the Blanco family of painters. For repeat visitors, an added draw is BRKD Café, a hidden garden cafe right on the museum premises.

Blanco Family Museum

The Blanco Family Museum was first established in 1980 after a successful family exhibit held by the Blanco family themselves at the National Museum in 1978. The museum was headed by renowned painter Jose “Pitok” V. Blanco, a muralist and National Artist nominee known for his richly colorful and celebratory works celebrating the Tagalog countryside.

It now houses the creations by the entire family, who collectively have produced a wide array of visual art depicting Angono’s idyllic rural life, colorful fiestas and religious celebrations.

One of the most awe-inspiring masterpieces here is “The Angono Fisherman’s Festival.” The large and incredibly detailed oil mural painting featuring real faces of over a hundred locals and residents from Angono that took the artist two years to complete.

The scale and the details are amazing. Every face bears a unique look. The artist himself appears in the scene, cuddling his grandchild and pointing him to the celebration.

While most paintings depict positive views and scenes, Blanco also has a few paintings with ‘dark’ themes. The Burning of Angono reportedly brings back the artist’s painful memory of World War II, when Japanese forces set the town ablaze in reprisal for the killing of Makapili (collaborationist) agents.

The Blanco Family Museum contains most of the masterpieces of Blanco, his wife and their 7 children, all of whom inherited their parents’ talent for the visual arts. The paintings show amazing growth and evolution through the years. The paintings by the kids are displayed by the age the kids made them, and what they could do when they were only 4 or 5 years old will astound you.

While their work as adults are really good in a technical sense, I was kind of drawn to the artwork of the Blanco kids when they were only just 4 or 5 yrs old.

You can see the progression as they age throughout the Blanco Family Museum, but I love the whimsical nature of their earliest artwork. This oil painting “Carp” was done by Jan P. Blanco when he was only 5 years old!

I also liked the travel masks by Peter Paul Blanco. How cool is it that all the members of the family inherited a talent for the visual arts.

Aside from the paintings, you can also spot this cool 1957 Triumph TR3A on display at the museum. This classic British sports car was produced between 1955 and 1962 by the Standard-Triumph Motor Company of Coventry, England.

BRKD Café

Like I mentioned earlier, a relatively new addition within the Blanco Family Museum is BRKD Cafe, a hidden urban garden cafe where diners can enjoy local coffee, tea, and snacks.

The secluded al fresco cafe is surrounded by lush urban mini jungle area and koi ponds. There are a few walkways and bridges over the pond, for you to walk around, and a couple of swings that offer a cute backdrop.

During our visit, we tried the Lavender Paradise, Rose Spritzer & Carrot Cake. They also have Caramel Beer, light meals, and assorted pastries.

BRKD Cafe offers a very chill and relaxing spot to wind down your museum visit. Perfect for couples, Tita dates with friends, or if you’re just exploring solo and want to enjoy some “me-time.”