Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
collection of Panamanian art anywhere, an excellent collection of works on paper by Lat-
in American artists, and the occasional temporary exhibition by a foreign or national
artist.
Museo de la Biodiversidad
MUSEUM
(Museum of Biodiversity;
www.biomuseopanama.org
;
Causeway)
Pending inauguration in 2013,
the Museo de la Biodiversidad is set to be a landmark museum with extensive botanical
gardens. Biodiversity is celebrated with vivid visuals, and outdoor and ocean exhibits.
World-renowned architect Frank Gehry, who designed the Guggenheim Museum in Bil-
bao, Spain, designed this controversial structure of crumpled multicolor forms. It's loc-
ated near the tip of the Causeway.
Parque Recreativo Omar
PARK
The biggest park in the city is filled with children, joggers and the occasional salsa class.
Located in Omar, behind the San Francisco neighborhood. Access from Vía Belisario.
Panama Canal Murals
HISTORIC BUILDING
(Balboa; 7:30am-4:15pm Mon-Fri)
The story of the monumental effort to build the
Panama Canal is powerfully depicted in murals by notable artist William B Van Ingen of
New York. The murals are mounted in the rotunda of the Panama Canal Administration
Building. The paintings have the distinction of being the largest group of murals by a
Northe American artist on display outside the USA.
The murals tell the story of the canal's construction through four main scenes: the dig-
ging of Gaillard Cut at Gold Hill, where the canal passes through the Continental Divide;
the building of the spillway of the Gatún Dam, which dammed the Río Chagres and cre-
ated Lago Gatún; the construction of one of the giant lock gates (the canal uses some 80
of these gates); and the construction of the Miraflores Locks near the Pacific entrance to
the canal. A frieze located immediately below the murals presents a panorama of the ex-
cavation of Gaillard Cut.
Van Ingen is also known for his murals in the Library of Congress and the US Mint.
These he produced for US$25 per sq ft; the finished murals cover about 1000 sq ft.
It's closed on weekends, but guards may allow visits between 10am and 2:30pm if you
ask politely.
Museo Afro-Antilleano
MUSEUM
OFFLINE MAP
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