MAC Panamá | Museum of Contemporary Art

Nice small museums in town, it is worth seeing it although it's a bit pricey (for elders and students there are some discounts). The installations where great and the place has a nice charm to it. There's a read room inside the café that is worth checking out.

I was here about a year ago, so I wasn't sure, if I wanted to go see the museum again. But yesterday I stumbled over the small satellite they have in the Casco Antigua, and that was completely worth the visit, so today I went again to the main exhibition. Admittedly the directrice had a most charming and persuasive way about her as well, and every single member of her staff I met and talked to was super helpful and pleasant. They certainly added something to the overall experience. So how was it? Lovely. Accessible. Inspiring. Sure, the Panama Museum of Contemporary Art isn't the Guggenheim, but it's a place that inspires and fascinates in its own way, as much as one of the more famous museums do. It's not especially big, but I must have been there almost two hours, I think, and if I had more time, I could spend days and weeks in the museum's fascinating library. Which incidentally is free, from what I was told. Definitely worth at least one visit.

Wow, MAC has been an absolute highlight of my trip to Panama City. Some very thought-provoking exhibits about the environment, culture and los diablos rojos. Edgar and Laura were working the front desk and I had an absolutely lovely conversation with them about the museum and art in general in Panama. They are truly wonderful ambassadors for the museum; completely kind, welcoming and enthusiastic about the art. I can’t recommend MAC enough and thank you again to Edgar and Laura.

So glad I went! As interesting as a visit to a contemporary art museum in New York City, although of course it is a small gallery with just a few rooms. A lot will depend on which special shows they are doing. The three on show when I went were both cutting edge and unapologetically Panamanian/Caribbean, one on Panama’s environment, one riffing off of the indigo dye as part of the Black Atlantic (with nods to both Paul Gilroy and Homi Bhabha), and a third about the goofy, bold vernacular art of Panama City’s “red devil” buses. I went on a weekday and it seemed like I was the museum’s only visitor, which is too bad—they deserve a lot more.

I came into the museum and Edgar offered a tour for an additional 5 dollars. Despite not knowing Spanish, he gave a fantastic tour of the exhibitions and I learned a lot (especially about the indigenous population in Panama). Highly recommended!

Beautiful museum with two floors to explore. One of the two current exhibits, entitled “Musa”, celebrates female artists and their incredible work. Although I walked to the museum from the Casco area, would recommend taking an Uber there and back.

It says it’s free but donations welcomed but we got charged to enter. I’m sure it’s because we weren’t fluent in Spanish. The installations were nice. You can get in and out in less than an hour.

My wife and I enjoyed the MAC. Edgar gave us an understanding of the Musa. His insightfulness of explaining the social, political and economics of the country gave meaning to the exhibit on the second floor. Outstanding!