If it is the soul of a country one is looking for, all one has to do is to visit galleries and museums to understand the culture of a nation. It is a cerebral yet fun way of learning about culture and history.
It is exactly what Eric Jurado has been doing ever since he was a child. His passion for the arts led him to opening his own Greystone Gallery at the ground floor of Prince Plaza, Legazpi Street, Greenbelt Park in Makati City.
“I grew up spending every weekend at art galleries and museums. My parents were avid collectors of paintings, pieces of sculpture and antiquities. They were loving and generous enough to provide me and my brothers and sister with our own ‘starter art collection.’ Every year, I would go around various galleries to see how much the paintings would rise in value. It’s better than stock since a painting can never go bankrupt. The worse that can happen is that you have a beautiful piece on your wall which gives you psychic dividends,” Eric says.
Eric says his parents (Emil and Trini Jurado) taught him a lot about art. They encouraged him to read books about art and antiquities. Eric took painting lessons and classes from art historians and experts and attended seminars. His parents took him to museums and art galleries around the world.
“A foreign trip was never complete without a visit to the leading art galleries and museums. My friends and some relatives thought that we were weird to be doing that and that we should be shopping, eating and going to theme parks instead. Of course, we did that, too. My parents just added an elective to my life and I am very grateful for that. Art is the window to a country and people’s soul. It is not captured by a country’s GDP,” Eric says.
Eric says his personal favorite artwork is a simple and small white stone carabao sculpted by (National Artist Napoleon) Abueva. “I am sentimental about it because, at a very young age, it was one of the very first art pieces I fell in love with. It also reminds me of my mother who educated me about the famous sculptor who made it. I started reading more about him and his importance and that’s what got me even more interested in art.”
Aside from art appreciation, Eric says his parents taught him and his siblings the values of honesty, integrity and respect. “They also taught us to be open to new things and ideas. Times always change and we change with them,” he adds.
In the ‘80s, the Jurados established Asian Arts and Antiquities in Los Angeles, California. Their first gallery was at the Granville Hotel in West Hollywood and the second was on Robertson Boulevard in Beverly Hills. It was across the street from Ivy, a famous restaurant frequented by Hollywood celebrities. It was the first and only gallery that featured Asian arts, particularly Filipino art and antiquities at that time.
Greystone, says Eric, was established as the gallery space of an investment management and advisory firm. The gallery manages the investment and art portfolios of select individuals, families and institutions. It also serves as a platform for the sale of selected artworks from their portfolios and features established and emerging artists. It features artworks of multiple media, which include painting, sculpture, photography and decorative art. Eric adds many professional buyers, sellers, collectors and art investors now commonly believe the next market boom will be in Southeast Asian contemporary art and Greystone will be perfectly positioned to participate in it.
“I have many favorite artworks. Like music, it depends on my mood. However, I’m drawn to the more contemporary, powerful and colorful artworks. I guess they’re a reflection of who I am. They push the envelope and speak. I also love the masters for their investment performance,” says Eric, whose dream is to continue to help the artists and people who work for him.
Opening Greystone, a business Eric understands and loves, has its romantic slant in it. When I asked him if there were any events or signs from heaven that it was time to open his business, Eric answers: “I married a wonderful girl who gives me encouragement and inspiration. Every artist has a muse. She is mine.” Eric is referring to his lovely wife Sarina. They got married on April 25, 2009.
“Sarina shares the love I have for art. Together, we set the gallery’s look, feel and what artists and works to feature. We visit other galleries, museums, local and international art fairs,” Eric says.
Eric and Sarina feel very happy about what they’ve accomplished so far. They say they are blessed to have many talented, knowledgeable and enthusiastic people and partners to help them. They remain very excited about the many ideas they receive to grow the enterprise.
If his relationship with Sarina were a piece of art, what would it be?
“It would be like a painting in mixed media. The colors would be solid and alive but not too many. There would also be simplicity in the other media like photographs, or other things that would contrast and at the same time blend. The solid colors reflect our harmonious, happy, and mature relationship while the other media represent our respective individualities and interests but are nicely blended in,” Eric says.
Eric admits that art will continue to be a part of his ongoing romance with his wife. “It brings life, color and passion to our lives. It expands our horizons and opens our minds to view the world and life through each other’s eyes.”
The stylish touches of Greystone reflect the engaging personalities of Eric and his wife Sarina. The atmosphere is not at all stiff, stuffy nor pretentious at the gallery. The place refreshes your soul, making you want to linger on and on as you lose yourself in such wondrous talents lovingly arranged.
“Art is not just decoration for our walls but a connection with our deep inner selves and the world around us,” Eric concludes.
(Would love to hear from you at miladayjewels@yahoo.com)
(Come and celebrate Greystone’s first of a series of exhibits, starting with “Wind, Water & The Blue Moon in Virginia’s World,” featuring works by Rina Macasaet, from July 13 to 26, G/F, Prince Plaza II, Legazpi St. Greenbelt Park, Makati City.)