Despite the pandemic, art, as a form of expression, continues to find a ways to inspire and flourish. From January 29 to March 15, the Metropolitan Museum of Manila (MET) will showcase a retrospective of the celebrated Spanish-Filipino artist Betsy Westendorp at its ground floor Tall Galleries.
Dubbed as “Passages: Celebrating the Artistic Journeys of Betsy Westendorp,” the retrospective gathers more than 100 of her artworks spanning 60 years of the artist’s illustrious career in various cities around the world. It alludes to the departure from her home country of Spain to commence what would be a lifetime relationship with the Philippines, and reveals the paths which would lead to her self-definition as a woman, wife, mother and artist.
Curated by Dannie Alvarez, the exhibition curated the artist’s portraits of the society elite of Madrid and Manila, landscapes of Philippine terrain, seascapes of Manila Bay, her colorful celebration of Philippine flora, especially the various species of the native orchid and, in the sunset of her years, the grand symphonic cloudscapes across Philippine skies.
By virtue of her marriage to Spanish-Filipino Antonio Brias in the 1950s and a lifetime residency in Manila, she has, through the decades, become a perceptive observer and an active participant in the Philippine art scene.
In recognition of the artist’s valued contribution to Philippine art, then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo awarded her with the Presidential Medal of Merit in 2008. In 1976, His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain bestowed on her the distinguished Lazo de Dama, an exclusive order and the equivalent of knighthood for women.
Presenting passages
In strict compliance with IATF guidelines and pandemic health protocols, the exhibit will be presented in different hybrid formats in virtual and real time and space.
A physical exhibition will be mounted at the MET ground floor galleries as a real time launch pad for a 3D virtual tour, a biographical film documentary, various interviews and tributes by individuals and institutions, and the virtual launching of a printed catalogue of the Retrospective exhibition authored by art writer, curator and critic Cid Reyes.
Continuous education and public programs in line with the retrospective such as a fireside chat with Westendorp and webinars will be announced and can be followed through social media throughout the exhibition run.
The catalogue for “Passages: Celebrating the Artistic Journeys of Betsy Westendorp” will be produced in partnership with the De La Salle University Publishing House.
The Retrospective Exhibition of Betsy Westendorp in related formats has been made possible by the generosity of sponsors and lenders and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
“Homage to Life,” oil on canvas with mixed media, 2018 from the Denise and Emmanuel Miñana collection
