Lima’s Best Museums: Visiting the Mario Testino Association in Barranco

The average traveler should choose their museum excursions with care: you want it to be worth the time invested, and offer something unique, that’s not redundant with other sights you’ve already visited. We’ve written about our favorite museums in Lima and Cusco’s most unique museums before, but now we’ll focus entirely on the Mario Testino Association, one of our favorite museums in Lima.

Unlike the other top museums, the MATE focuses on contemporary culture rather than relics. It mainly hosts temporary exhibitions where you can see the work of innovative new photographers. International artists are featured, but there’s a special emphasis on the Peruvian art scene. Most of the exhibits don’t have a cover, but you can rent headphones for a guided tour for a just a sol (US$0.40)

The small museum opened in 2012, in an elegant colonial home with white pillars and a tile walkway along the entrance. Inside, Testino’s own work is featured in permanent exhibits which span from haute couture shots of models and actresses to photos glorifying Peru’s ethnic and cultural diversity through portraits of Peruvians in traditional folkloric dress.

Because Mate aspires to be a cultural space and not just a gallery, it often hosts concerts and other arts-related events.

There’s a gift shop and a café with excellent selections, decorated in the classic local style and featuring a small terrace overlooking the museum. If you’re not interested in sampling the food, at least consider one of their mixed fruit juices with lemon verbena- delicious!

The museum opens from Tuesday through Saturday, from 11am-8pm. On Sundays, it closes early at 6pm.

Complete the afternoon by strolling along the museum’s street, Avenida Pedro de Osma and San Martin to the plaza. From there, you can walk down the Bajada de Baños, a beautiful path leading from the green cliffs of the Costa Verde down to the beach. Flowers line either side of the path, and you’ll enjoy wonderful views of the wooden Bridge of Sighs. If you reach this spot around dusk, you’ll be taken away by its beauty and tranquility- gardens, cliffs, the sea…