Exploring Museums of Lima, Peru
VIP Journeys will explore our favorite Museums of Lima, Peru. Witnesses to our past and guardians of the priceless historical, archaeological and cultural treasures of our country, Peru’s museums provide an overview of the history of our nation and offer us new insights into our origins. Here, we present Peru’s most representative museums and make available to you the memorable experience of visiting them in an exclusive fashion, in the company of the best possible hosts: experts and connoisseurs who are the soul of these great collections. History, archaeology, art and current affairs… Each of these museums, carefully selected for you, will introduce you to a different facet of our country, while also introducing you to a range of public and private sector initiatives, along with the incredible individuals who share a love for the history of Peru and work to protect our culture for future generations.
Larco Museum
TREASURES FROM ANCIENT PERU LARCO MUSEUM – LIMA
This oasis of peace and culture invites you to explore more than 5,000 years of the history of ancient Peru, through its impressive collection of Pre-Columbian art. Surrounded by beautiful gardens, the Larco Museum is housed in an 18th-century viceroyalty mansion. The museum’s origins date back to 1923 when Rafael Larco Hoyle began the process of amassing his collection when he received as a gift from his father, Rafael Larco Herrera, his first high-quality ancient artwork. It was from his father that he inherited a deep love for Peru’s past. Today, through its collection of more than 45,000 carefully displayed objects, the Larco Museum will introduce you to the intimate relationship enjoyed by Pre-Columbian societies with the natural world. And at the same time, you’ll be dazzled by its extraordinary collection of gold and silver from ancient Peru, and its famous collection of erotic art, which is one of the country’s most visited tourist attractions. Few places can compete with the stimulating experience of visiting the Larco Museum. As soon as you walk through the museum’s doors, you will find yourself surrounded by its beautiful gardens, filled with leafy ferns and colorful bougainvillea. It is like entering an oasis of calm, in the middle of a bustling city. As you begin to wander through the museum’s rooms, you’ll understand immediately why it is considered one of the world’s finest museums and, in the company of an expert archaeologist, you’ll embark upon a journey into 5,000 years of history, in which the tastes, beliefs, and desires of PreHispanic Peruvians will come to life once more through your gaze. You will be invited to view the permanent collection, the collection of erotic sculptural pottery, and the thousands of meticulously cataloged objects held in storerooms that are open to the public, in what is a uniquely intimate experience. VIP Journeys presents this trip as an hour and 30 minutes with a minimum of one traveler and a maximum of 15 travelers per group. For groups with more than 15 travelers, please contact VIP Journeys.
Mali Museum
MALI ARCHITECTURE AND COMMUNITY LIMA MUSEUM OF ART – LIMA
The MALI is one of Lima’s most emblematic museums and it displays its passion for art in both the interior and exterior of its building. The museum is housed in the Exhibition Palace, situated close to the historic center of Lima and one of the most beautiful examples of 19th century Lima architecture. Since its creation, the museum has managed to maintain the quality of its exhibition spaces while leaving the original design of the building untouched, ensuring ongoing harmony between its modern function and architectural heritage. The museum’s 4,500 meters of exhibition space is divided into 34 specialist rooms, and it is home to the largest and most representative collection of artworks in Peru, dating from the Pre-Columbian period to the present day, and including more than 17,000 examples of Peruvian pottery, textiles, jewelry, painting and drawing, representing more than 3,000 years of artistic history and offering an overview of the nation’s creative processes. VIP Journeys presents this trip as an hour and 30 minutes with a minimum of 2 travelers and a maximum of 15 travelers per group. For groups with more than 15 travelers, please contact VIP Journeys.
Amano Museum
PRE-COLUMBIAN TEXTILE ART – PERU
Since its foundation in 1964, the Amano Museum has been acknowledged as one of the most important spaces tor the exhibition of Peruvian textile art. Housed in one of the first buildings in Peru specially designed to function as a museum, its collection was begun by Yoshitaro Amano, a successful Japanese entrepreneur who devoted much of his time and fortune to protecting the cultural heritage of Peru from looting and destruction. Fifty years later, the Amano family worked to remodel the premises and produce a more modern museum design. Today, the Amano Museum offers visitors a cutting-edge exhibition space and works to conserve Pre-Columbian masterworks, while specializing in the fields of textiles, fashion, and design. Here, more than 400 textile artworks from eleven Pre-Columbian cultures are displayed, with the enormous and varied collection of Chancay culture pottery and textiles offering a particularly fascinating attraction. Wander through the museum’s rooms in the company of its curator, Doris Robles, and relive the passion of Mr. Yoshitaro Amano for the ancient civilizations of Peru. The experience begins with an introduction to the global history of textile development, the earliest raw materials, and textile history among Pre-Hispanic cultures, with a particular emphasis upon Chancay culture… You will be fascinated by the pieces exhibited by the museum. Explore step-by-step the creation of incredible textiles and the techniques mastered by skilled weavers and pottery makers who lived more than 900 years ago. And, to end on a high note, enjoy privileged access to the Storeroom, where draws contain more than 460 textile items from Chancay culture. VIP Journeys presents this trip as an hour and 30 minutes with a minimum of one traveler and a maximum of 15 travelers per group. For groups with more than 15 travelers, please contact VIP Journeys.
Pedro de Osma Museum
VICEROYALTY HERITAGE – PERU
Housed in a beautiful early 20th-century mansion, in the bohemian district of Barranco, the Pedro de Osma Museum is home to the most important private collection of viceroyalty art in Peru. Surrounded by gardens filled with marble sculptures, the museum is composed of two buildings in the French style, with art nouveau windows, metal roofs, ornate plaster, and crystal chandeliers. You will be struck immediately by its sheer dimensions and refined beauty. The objects displayed come from the personal private collection of the philanthropist Pedro de Osma Gildemeister, amassed from 1936 to 1967, and from a private collection in Cusco. Through these works, you will connect with a vital period in the history of Peru, during which the nation’s unique cultural identity was forged, in the form of so-called “mestizo” art. Paintings, sculptures, viceroyalty and ancient Andean artworks are displayed in more than 10 thematically arranged rooms.
Viceroyalty and Mestizo Art
To visit the museum’s rooms, its restoration workshop, and the main storeroom in the company of its director is to engage in a privileged experience. As you wander through each room, you will gain new insights into the impact of the viceroyalty period upon Peruvian history, and the development of a uniquely “mestizo”, or mixed-race, art which has left an incalculably valuable legacy. Contemplate paintings from the Cusco School of the 17th and 18th centuries; enjoy the sculptures, silverwork, and furniture of the viceroyalty period; and explore an entire room devoted to the art of ancient Peru’s southern Andean region. And, at the same time, discover the mansion which houses the museum, itself a witness to countless social events, hosted by an architecture of undiminished charm.
Mario Testino Museum
MATE CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY: MARIO TESTINO
When it comes to photography, the MATE is the place to visit. The museum explores the work of the Peruvian Mario Testino, one of the world’s most well-known fashion and portrait photographers. Situated right in the heart of the bohemian district of Barranco, in an old 19th century mansion that has been fully restored to its former glory, MATE seeks to create a vibrant and auspicious space for individual expression, a celebration of Peru’s contribution to the art and culture of the world, and the promotion of the nation’s creative industries. The Permanent Collection displays the work produced by Mario Testino, featuring his landscapes and editorial photos, as well as his images focused on the social and cultural experiences that form part of his identity as a photographer. The Temporary Collections are devoted to the work of both Peruvian and overseas contemporary artists.
Famous celebrities from all over the world accompanied Mario Testino during the inauguration of this space, at a social event that made the MATE a must-see attraction for thousands of tourists who visit our country each year. From the moment you arrive, you will sense the cosmopolitan ambiance. Your host will accompany you and recount the story of how this old mansion was transformed into a gallery, and of course the creative process behind the photography exhibition. You will be invited to explore the work of Testino through eight rooms, divided according to the thematic currents that define the images. You will also be able to view “Alta Moda”, a series of unpublished images focused upon Peruvian traditions, as well as the iconic photographs taken of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997, the London exhibition of which broke all box office records. VIP Journeys presents this trip as 2 hours long with a minimum of one traveler and a maximum of 15 travelers per group. For groups with more than 15 travelers, please contact VIP Journeys.
LUM
Place of Memory, Tolerance and Social Inclusion – Lima
From the 1980s to the year 2000, close to 70,000 people lost their lives as a result of the violence unleashed by Shining Path, a terrorist organization that sought power through armed struggle. The Place of Memory, Tolerance and Social Inclusion (LUM) is a setting for national remembrance of the violent events which occurred in Peru during that period. The Nobel Prize-winning author Mario Vargas Llosa presided over the first commission established by the president of Peru in order to define the content of this space, which was inaugurated in 2015, with assistance from the governments of Germany and Sweden, and support from the United Nations. Today, the LUM is a place for commemoration of the victims of that period, as well as a space for dialogue and reflection concerning the importance of human rights. It contains a permanent exhibition and historical archive, and in addition, it hosts temporary exhibitions, cultural and academic activities, and educational services.
Vip Journeys offers many cultural tours to Latin America, start your search here or call our Trip Designers at (800)772-9188.
