Art & Museums

Puerto Rico is a cultural hub with nearly every type of art represented

Whether your style is contemporary, classic, urban, or full of history, Puerto Rico has works of art that will inspire you with the island’s distinct interpretation of Caribbean culture.

Puerto Rico is a cultural hub with nearly every type of art represented. Throughout Puerto Rico there are almost 80 museums that cover art, design, history, anthropology, and science. On top of museums, Puerto Rico is home to amazing music and culinary festivals, galleries, ballets and contemporary dance, theater, and public art, like sculptures and street art.

Furthermore, Puerto Rico's arts and cultural scenes last through the night with live music, dancing, and parties throughout the Island almost every day of the week.

One of the best ways to understand more about the island’s deeply rooted art, culture, and history is through the many museums in Puerto Rico. You’ll find engaging exhibits, inspiring architecture, and insights that help you appreciate the island in new ways at institutions throughout the island.

Puerto Rico Museum of Art (Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico)

Located in San Juan and one of the largest art museums in the Caribbean, the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico is one of the most important arts and cultural destinations on the Island.

Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico

Known for showcasing artwork from a wide variety of local masters, and spanning historical periods from the 17th century to contemporary work, the MAPR has 24 galleries, a craft workshop area for children, a restaurant, a gift shop, and a beautiful outdoor sculpture garden. The exhibits change throughout the year and include a variety of styles and media. The surrounding gardens and walking paths are a work of art in themselves, perfect for creative meditation and reflection.

The Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico (MAPR) offers a variety of guided tours. Visitors can select the type of visit that will ensure maximum enjoyment of their visit to the Museum. Visitors can also choose to join one of the scheduled tours during the weekends without a previous appointment. The MAPR has a team of docents and interpreters trained especially to offer a rich experience to any visitor, regardless of age.

Puerto Rico Contemporary Art Museum (Museo de Arte Contemporáneo)

Located very close to the MAPR in the heart of Santurce neighborhood, you’ll find the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico. The historical building that once was a public school features two floors filled with galleries showcasing contemporary artwork using mixed and multi-media. The space aims to encourage multidisciplinary experiences and the appreciation of art from the Caribbean and Latin American perspectives.

Museo de Arte Contemporáneo

Focusing on the second half of the 20th century, the museum showcases artists from Latin America, the Caribbean and Puerto Rico across its two floors of galleries. There you can get a taste of the island’s present-day working artists.

Ponce Museum of Art (Museo de Arte de Ponce)

In southern Puerto Rico, the Ponce Museum of Art is filled with classical artworks dating back to the 17th century. Revel in these historic collections that showcase the vibrancy of Puerto Rican culture alongside the pieces from Europe.

Museo de Arte de Ponce

Amazing art and cultural experiences await beyond San Juan as well. In Ponce, on the island’s southern coast, step into the grand foyer and climb the sweeping staircases of the Museo de Arte de Ponce, where more than 4,500 works of art dating from the 15th century to modern times await. In addition to Baroque art and Victorian paintings, you’ll discover ancient pottery and sculptures from Latin America, Puerto Rico and Europe.

Whether you want to appreciate historic European art or contemporary artists, there’s an art museum on the Island that’s worth your time. If you are an art lover who admires talent and searches for creativity and inspiration during your vacation, plan to visit one (or more) of the below listed museums during your trip.

Museo de Arte y Diseño de Miramar

607 Calle Cuevillas, San Juan, PR 00907

A new museum and cultural space has been recently born in the Miramar metro-district, dedicated to the disciplines of decorative arts, plastic art, and local and international design. What was once a legendary family’s house, the Museo de Arte y Diseño de Miramar, now aims to inspire through art, invention, innovation, and creativity as engines of social wellness. Its shop offers products made in Puerto Rico and it also has an event space as well.

Museo de Arte y Diseño de Miramar (MADMi)

Housed in a strikingly renovated circa-1913 building in the Miramar metro-district of San Juan, this museum will delight lovers of modernism. The permanent collection and special exhibits celebrate the relationship between form and function in modern art and objects, from kitchen appliances to graphic design.

Puerto Rico’s history stretches from pre-Columbian civilizations through modern times, including contributions from Taíno, African, and Spanish peoples. The centuries-old melting pot blends cultures, art, military strategy, pirates, sugar plantations, and more, to make the island a perfect getaway for history lovers. Museums across the island bring to life various historic moments — some focused broadly on the island and others looking at more specific regional events.

Museo Casa Cautiño

Built in 1882 and finished in 1887, Casa Cautiño is located in the town plaza of Guayama, a one-hour-drive hour from San Juan. This historic house has passed through generations and serves as a witness to Puerto Rico’s rich past and a beautiful example of 19th century urban architecture.

Museo Casa Cautiño

Genaro Cautiño Vázquez, head of the Cautiño’s family, commissioned architect Manuel Texidor to create an elegant residence as a wedding gift to his wife. The result is a home that features a blend between the neoclassical style with touches of Creole architecture that overlooks the town’s public square. A tour through the home, which was occupied by the family for three generations, includes many original paintings, woodwork, sculptures, and furniture pieces that are wonderfully preserved. The house was opened to the public in 1988 and is listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Museo de la Historia de Ponce

Once the house of the Salazar family, the building that houses the Museo de la Historia de Ponce was built in 1911 and designed by architect Blass Silva Boucher using a neoclassical and Mudéjar style. It became a museum in 1992 in commemoration of the 300th anniversary of Ponce’s founding (1692). Since then, the museum has become one of the most active cultural centers on the island.

Museo de la Historia de Ponce

With exhibits dedicated to nearly every aspect of everyday life in the city – from finances and politics to ecology and urban development – the Museo de la Historia de Ponce tells the story of Puerto Rico’s second-largest city. It’s located just two blocks from Ponce’s popular Plaza las Delicias. Its exhibitions provide a look at the historical evolution of the second largest city in Puerto Rico, from the indigenous period to modern times. Topics include the ecology of the area, the growth of the city, its economic development, role in national politics, and more.

Museo Castillo Serrallés

The beautiful Castillo de Serrallés in Ponce is magnificent evidence of the development of the sugar cane and rum industries during the early 20th century. The home of the Serrallés family, owners of the Don Q rum distillery, was at the time considered a “Spanish Revival” mansion.

Museo Castillo Serrallés

The interior of the house has been preserved so visitors can appreciate the lobby, rooms, patio, and terrace in its original condition, altogether a reminder of the cultural and economic changes that the southern side of the island was experiencing during the time. The permanent exhibition titled "La Hacienda Mercedita" shows the family’s 300-acre sugarcane plantation, where the Snow White sugar brand and Don Q rum were created. Visitors can also enjoy the magnificent landscape and beautiful panoramic views of the city of Ponce and the Caribbean Sea.

Museo Casa Blanca

Located and near El Morro in Old San Juan, right around the corner from Casa Blanca and San Sebastián streets, you will find el Museo Casa Blanca, an elegant house that once was home to Ponce de León’s family.

Museo Casa Blanca

The house shows architectural tendencies of the 16th century along with an outstanding view of the Old City with beautiful gardens, living rooms and bedrooms originally used by the family. La Casa Blanca was the first fortification in San Juan. Although Juan Ponce de León himself couldn’t live in the residence, his family did until the mid-18th century. Later, the house was occupied by Spanish and American army commanders. Furniture and artifacts from the 16th and 17th centuries are part of the current exhibition.

Museo de las Américas

Located in the historical Cuartel de Ballajá in Old San Juan, the architecture of the building is fascinating in its own right. It’s the largest and grandest of the museums. The Museum de las Americas is located on the second floor of the Cuartel de Ballaja, a magnificent historic building from the 19th century constructed by the Spanish government to house troops and officers who worked on the grounds of El Morro San and San Felipe Fort.

Museo de las Americas

The history and culture of the American continent, with an emphasis on Puerto Rico’s cultural heritage, can be found at el Museo de las Américas in Old San Juan.

The Museo de las Américas aims to provide a place where the work of artists from North, South, and Central America can all cohabitate. The museum displays pottery, musical instruments, basketry, among other relics made in different American countries, as well as the santos de Puerto Rico, which are the saints venerated by Puerto Ricans. There are also temporary exhibits covering a range of topics. The museum is nearby other major historic attractions, including the Fort El Morro, so it’s an easy addition to any history-related itinerary.