From giant paintings to 19th century newspapers: Annual ACC auction funds more art fellowships

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ECCE HOMO or Portrait of Christ by Patricio Gaston O’Farrell

SITE of U.P Diliman by Fernando Amorsolo

TO SUPPORT Filipino artists and scholars’ fellowships abroad, the Asian Cultural Council Philippines Foundation, Inc. (ACC Philippines), is set to auction off major artworks on Feb. 14 at the Leon Gallery.

Benefiting from the auction is the ACC Philippines Fellowship Program, now on its 11^th year. This edition will support eight Filipino artist-fellows in the United States, some already in the middle of their cultural exchange projects while others are set to embark on their projects soon.

Among this year’s auction highlights are the Fernando Amorsolo paintings, Site of UP Diliman and Marikina, landscapes dated to 1947 and 1933, respectively. These will be joined by five other works by Mr. Amorsolo, said Leon Gallery Director Jaime Ponce de Leon.

“You can see the site of the future UP. He painted the plains of Marikina, and you can see the mountains and the land,” said Mr. Ponce de Leon at a press conference on Jan. 28 in Makati. “These are high-quality glimpses into the past.”

The public sale will also have an important work by Danilo Dalena on the block: the oil painting, America, made when he went to the United States in 1998, and intended to be part of a series on life in the US.

One item of interest is a sketchbook from 1951 depicting the travels of Fernando Zóbel, said Leon Gallery curator Lisa Guerrero-Nakpil.

“It’s from the year he came back to the Philippines from abroad, considered his first diary sketchbook upon arrival in the Philippines after coming from Harvard and the Boston School,” she said.

Mr. Ponce de Leon added that it’s a treasure trove, with “every single page populated by his writings and drawings.

“It’s a collectible because it contains the basis of some of his works that we see in people’s collections now, like Pink House and Woman with Hat,” he explained. “Many pieces in this sketchbook turned out to be final works of Zóbel.”

GRANTEES
Around 300 artists, scholars, and professionals across disciplines — performing arts, visual arts, archaeology, and curatorship — have received ACC grants since 1963. Some have since become National Artists: Jose Joya (Art), Lucrecia Kasilag (Music), Lamberto Avellana (Film), Francisco Feliciano (Music), Alejandro Roces (Literature), Jose Maceda (Music), Alice Reyes (Dance), Ramon Santos (Music), and Kidlat Tahimik (Film), among others.

This year, eight grantees join their ranks. Currently doing their graduate fellowships are theater arts practitioner Aina Ramolete, who is pursuing puppet arts in Connecticut; and musician Alain de Asis, who is training in violin performance in Indiana.

Meanwhile, photo and video artists Joyce Sahagun Garcia and Maria Estela Paiso are taking on six-month New York fellowships on film, video, and photography, while theater director and curator Karl Jingco is immersing in the theater scene, also in New York.

Theater and TV writer and actress J-Mee Katanyag, composer and musical director Joed Balsamo, and dancer Ma. Alexa Andrea Torte will be flying to the US this year to begin their fellowships.

ON THE BLOCK
Both works of art and valuable historical items will go on the block on the Feb. 14 auction to support this year’s fellows. There will be two large (about 12 feet long) paintings: Interaction by Mauro Malang Santos, Soler Santos, and Steve Santos; and Paglaom Padayon by the artist collective Sanggawa, composed of Elmer Borlongan, Karen Ocampo-Flores, Mark Justiniani, Joy Mallari, and Federico Sievert.

Mr. Ponce de Leon pointed out another valuable work, Ecce Homo or Portrait of Christ, painted by Patricio Gaston O’Farrell, the best student of Juan Luna. “It’s not a Luna, but an identical work believed to be made by O’Farrell with the guidance of his mentor, under his supervision,” he said.

A second-edition Murillo-Velarde map, which clearly defines Philippine territory, comes with Fray de la Concepcion’s complete 14-volume Historia General de Philipinas: Conquistas espirituales y temporales de estos espanoles dominios, estableciminetos, progresos y decadencias and is expected to fetch high prices. Also worth noting are a signed first edition of Jose Rizal’s El Filibusterismo; a set of newspapers that chart the evolution of the Philippine press, from La Republica Filipina to La Solidaridad to La Independencia; and a letter from President Manuel L. Quezon to Chief Justice Ramon Avanceña.

“There are photographs and paintings depicting President Quezon, plus a letter from Vice-President Sergio Osmeña,” said Ms. Guerrero-Nakpil. “This auction has a lot of goodies, all for the benefit of this year’s artist-fellows.”

The auction will be held on Feb. 14 at Leon Gallery in Legazpi Village, Makati City, with bidding commencing at 2 p.m. For details, visit leon-gallery.com. — Brontë H. Lacsamana