By Alex Y. Vergara
Simply dubbed as “The Magnificent September Auction 2020,” Leon Gallery’s upcoming big event scheduled on September 19, 2 p.m., with previews from September 12 to 18, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., is noteworthy for a number of reasons.
For one, says gallery director Jaime Ponce de Leon, the auction, which features more than 160 items, including vintage maps, antique furniture pieces and sculptures, comes in the middle of a pandemic, proving perhaps that art, like life, always finds a way to showcase itself and resonate with collectors who appreciate and value its true worth.
“With your continued trust and support, we have assembled a truly wonderful set of lots from the storied centuries of Philippine art history,” writes Jaime in the catalog’s foreword.
Leading its featured pieces for auction are major artworks by Lee Aguinaldo from his most acclaimed series—“Linear No. 98 and Linear No. 99.” “These works,” Jaime adds, “are truly equivalent to Jose Joya’s ‘Space Transfiguration’ in scope, vision and execution.” They also happen to be two of Aguinaldo’s beloved masterpieces.
Speaking of Joya, a number of the late National Artist’s artworks are also up for auction this time. As are pieces by fellow National Artists and exponents of mid-century modern art Ang Kiukok, Arturo Luz and H.R. Ocampo, three of the country’s leading abstractionists.
Such is the show’s range that it also features works of artists as diverse as Juan Luna, Vicente Manansala, Oscar Zalameda, Federico Alcuaz, Anita Magsaysay-Ho and National Artist Fernando Amorsolo, to more contemporary names such as Martin Justiniani, Charlie Co, Martin Honasan and Bernardo Pacquing, among others.
Luna’s masterpieces, from the last of his Philippine period, have found counterpoints in Amorsolo’s depictions of a pre-Spanish maiden and a bygone summer’s day in a sugar hacienda. “All these are lyrical renditions of our beloved homeland,” Jaime writes.
Led by BenCab and Romulo Olazo, the works of the country’s next generation of abstractionists are also featured. This form of expression is very much alive in the works of other featured artists such as Buen Calubayan, Rodel Tapaya, Ronald Ventura, Jose John Santos III, Louie Cordero and Emmanuel Garibay.
Justiniani, following in the footsteps of Joya and Fernando Zobel, continues to reap accolades since his groundbreaking participation in the last Venice Biennale. Joya represented the Philippines when the country first joined the global art event. Zobel also had the distinction of featuring his works during a later edition of Venice Biennale.
“These three audacious Biennale artists have riveting works in the September auction,” says Jaime.
Other accomplished artists whose works are featured in the auction include painters Augusto Albor, Romulo Galicano, Andres Barrioquinto and Isabel Diaz, as well as sculptors Julie Lluch and Ramon Orlina.
“Not to be missed,” Jaime adds, “are extremely important and extraordinarily rare maps. Among this trove is a highly prized version of the Murillo Map, which is hailed as the ‘Holy Grail of Philippine Maps,’ that was a landmark piece of evidence of our rights over the West Philippine Sea.”
“The other treasure,” he concludes, “is the map that has been called the birth certificate of our nation, the first time that the name ‘Filipina’ would be used for our Mother Country.”
For inquiries, log on to www.leon-gallery.com, email at info@leon-gallery.com, or call +632 8856 2781.
