A must-see exhibit at Fundacion Sansó, “Prized and Personal” features the artist’s most dramatic and monumental paintings, which are now part of businessman and banker Raffy Simpao’s collection.
These artworks were done during the artist’s “prime” years, and are both prized and personal from the point of view of their creator as well as their owner. Fundacion Sansó recently opened “Sansó: Prized and Personal Raffy Simpao Collection”, an exhibit which will run until October 8, 2022. This is the third exhibition for the year in Fundacion Sansó’s “Prized and Personal” cycle, a series of shows that highlight works owned by avid Sansó collectors and explore the various aspects that move them to collect his art.
This must-see exhibit features select Sansó artwork from businessman and banker Raffy Simpao’s private collection, and are representative of some of Sansó’s outstanding works. Composed of 36 pieces, including large-scale and dramatic En Vase floral paintings, and peaceful landscapes and seascapes from the Brittany and Breton House Series, this collection shows some of the finest pieces from Juvenal Sansó’s prime in the 1970s to the 1990s.
Among the many noteworthy pieces in the exhibit is “Stately Opulence”, an exuberant En Vase painting with a vibrant orange background that is Raffy’s first Sansó acquisition, as he especially likes the floral composition. Other notable pieces are “Solemn Peacefulness” and “Sublime Contentment”; two majestic Brittany landscapes that each measure an immense 45 x 65 inches in size.
Also featured in the exhibit are a select number of pieces from the Reverse Series, which fascinate Raffy, as the technique stems from Juvenal Sansó’s previous work in theater. Sansó would paint an all-black base, so that his stage backgrounds would not shine white under the harsh spotlights. The artist applied this same technique on his Reverse Series of paintings; first prepping a black base, then adding the colors by layer, slowly building each one up to complete the painting.
This exhibit is also a study in intergenerational collections, as Raffy Simpao recalls the influence his father, Rafael “Babes” Simpao II, had on him in appreciating Filipino art. The younger Simpao relates that his father would bring him along to studio and house visits of Filipino masters such as Malang, Romulo Olazo and Sansó. This early exposure to art eventually developed into a serious passion for collecting; with father and son trading or buying artworks from one another.
The exhibition cycle of “Sansó: Prized and Personal” will culminate in the publication of a book of the same title, to be published by Fundacion Sansó. The coffee table book will focus on the artwork, essays and interviews from these exhibits, and will be a case study on the passions and motivations of collectors in the Philippine art scene.
“Sansó: Prized and Personal Raffy Simpao Collection” will run until October 8, 2022 at Fundacion Sansó, 32 V. Cruz St., Brgy. Sta. Lucia, San Juan. The museum is open from Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m.- 3 p.m., except on holidays. For more information, follow Fundacion Sansó @FUNDACIONSANS0 on Facebook, and @fundacion_sanso on Instagram. For inquiries, email fundacionsanso@gmail.com.
