AN art gallery is set to celebrate the country’s 125th independence anniversary by holding an auction that features the finest works of renowned Filipino artists.
Leon Gallery will also partner with MovEd (Molding Optimism and Values Thru Education) Group to for the organization’s mission to “provide free holistic and accessible early childhood education to underprivileged communities around the Philippines.”
The Spectacular Mid-Year Auction will take place on June 17 at 2 p.m. in Makati City.
Meanwhile, the gallery’s preview week for the auction will run from June 10 to 16 and will be open to the public.
“Milestones are always a cause for celebration—and none more so than the 125th year of our nation’s birth as we mark a momentous, glorious 12th of June this 2023,” said Leon Gallery Director Jaime Ponce de Leon.
“In this year’s Spectacular Mid-Year Auction, we have sought to gather the very best of Filipino art to commemorate this watershed moment,” he added.
National Artist and Father of Transparent Cubism Vincente Manansala’s Pounding Rice (1973) will be one of the highlighted pieces during the auction.
The work comes from the collection of philanthropist and passionate collector of the arts Doña Hideliza “Delly” Tambunting-Ongsiako.
A part of the proceeds from the sold Tambunting-Ongsiako collection will be used to help charitable institutions, including the Leaven of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Oblate Apostle of the Two Hearts, and Alliance of the Holy Family International.
Courtesy: Leon Gallery
Aside from this, the stunning painting called Women with Flowers (1993) by Anita Magsaysay Ho will also be highlighted in the auction. The piece is from the collection of one of the artist’s friends, Zita Feliciano.
Courtesy: Leon Gallery
Three of National Artist Fernando Amorsolo’s earliest works can also be viewed during the auction: Dolmen de Grandmont (Languedoc) (1910), A Firelit Night with Musicians (1938), and Portrait of a Spanish Woman (1919).
His famous masterpiece Dalagang Bukid (1929) will also be available during the auction.
Courtesy: Leon Gallery
The auction will also celebrate the birth of the country’s national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal through the two works of Emmanuel Garibay that capture his heroism.
A rare copy of Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (1609), which Rizal annotated, is also featured in the collection.
Courtesy: Leon Gallery
Apart from this, art enthusiasts will also have the opportunity to grab the works of National Artists including Napoleon Abueva, Jose Joya, Victorio Edades, Cesar Legaspi, Arturo Luz, Jerry Elizalde Navarro, Ang Kiukok, Benedicto Cabrera, and Federico Aguilar Alcuaz.
Religious effigies and wood, metal, and glass sculptures will also be available during the auction.
