VICENTE Manansala’s never-before-seen artworks will be up for grabs as non-fungible tokens (NFT) in an art exhibit in Makati City.

Creative platform Art House will be holding an exhibit of the pieces of the late cubist painter and National Artist Vicente Manansala to pay homage to his life and legacy.

Dubbed as Alab, the exhibit will run from May 25 to 28 at the North Court of Power Plant Mall in Makati City.

“ALAB, an homage to the inimitable Vicente Manansala, aims to evoke the emotions of remembering and honoring both the past and the future,” Art House wrote in a Facebook post.

On May 26, it will hold an auction of rare Manansala artworks as NFTs. These pieces have never been put on exhibit or circulated.

The auction is in collaboration with Asian fine arts NFT pioneer Artifact. 

Manansala’s pieces will provide an intimate look into the life and experiences of the national artist in the form of abstractionism and transparent cubism. 

The auction will include four masterpieces from Manansala, such as Doves, Banaklaot, El Viejo “Conquistador,” and Female Nude. 

Each painting is divided into 50 tiles that buyers can purchase separately. Premium tiles consist of the most compelling details from each work, as per Art House’s catalog magazine.

While regular tiles of Manansala’s artworks can be purchased via Artifract website, premium tiles of the NFT works will only be available during the auction program. The starting price for each premium tile will cost P48,000.

NFT is a type of digital asset that represents ownership or proof of authenticity of a unique item or piece of content using blockchain technology. It enables creators to tokenize and sell their digital creations, providing a way to prove ownership, establish scarcity or create limited-edition items, and potentially earn revenue from their work.

The auction will take place at the 38th floor of Rockwell Center’s Manansala Building from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

Interested bidders may register online by accomplishing a Google Form prepared by the organizers.

Get to know Vicente Manansala

Manansala was a renowned Filipino artist known for his style of cubism and his utilization of transparent and translucent colors to depict scenes of everyday Filipino life, rural landscapes, and urban cityscapes.

He was hailed as one of the National Artists for Painting in 1981. His works can be found at the third level of the National Museum of Fine Arts in the city of Manila.

More artists on display 

The exhibit will also feature several Filipino artists whose works are inspired by and pay tribute to the master and father of Transparent Cubism. Pieces in the exhibit vary from paintings, sculptures, and objects d’art.

Alab will be showcasing the avant-garde works of visual artists Aaron Virate Mempin, Anita del Rosario, Carol Ocampo-Ilanillo, Edgar Doctor, Grace Agbayani, JC Intal, Joemarie Sanclaria, Melissa Yeung-Yap, Munte del Rosario, Norlie Meimban, Pepe Mendoza, Rebecca Cayton, Renz Danielle Dugenia, and Sam Penaso.

Aside from this, NFT pieces of Ronna Manansala, Andre Baldovino, and Jopet Arias will also be up for silent auction during the first night of the exhibit.