Important works by Filipino artists at Sotheby’s auction

Masterpieces and important works by Indo-European, Filipino, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Singaporean artists will be presented in Sotheby’s Auction of Southeast Asian Paintings in Singapore on Oct. 6 at The Regent Singapore. Among the 189 paintings on offer, 24 are significant works by Filipino artists. They are estimated to fetch in excess of US$340,000.

Paintings by the Thirteen Moderns, such as Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Vicente Manansala and H.R. Ocampo, as well as works by Fernando Amorsolo, Cesar Buenaventura and Romeo Tabuena, are featured in the sale.

Magsaysay-Ho is known for her resolute focus on modernist painterly techniques and the dynamics and relationships between peasant women. Her paintings are intriguing and exhaustive expression of her respect of and affection for the people at the lowest rung of Filipino society, and their ability to find dignity and happiness amid great hardship. "Fruit Vendors," with an estimate price of US$55,550-US$83,330, is an early example of the artist’s theme on peasant women. It was executed with an exceptionally free and expressive brush. There is also an interesting play with color to articulate the realism moment – the joy, sympathy and emotional bond shared by the sorority of women at work. "Peanut Vendors," with an estimate price of US$33,300-US$44,400, is from a later period when the artist’s style has evolved to a more decorative style with a lighter palette and texture.

National artist Vicente Silva Manansala (1910-1981) also painted women but in a style far removed from the former artist’s statement about the community of rural women. Manansala’s works from the early 1950s mostly reflect the harsh reality of urban destitution of post-war Manila. "Harvest," painted in 1957, is representative of Manansala’s concerns and the emphasis is on the strength and monumental presence of human figures. It has an estimate price of US$27,770-US$38,880. As a clearly religious man, Manansala, reflect through the dire human conditions, with certainty of salvation and redemption. Emphasizing a single figure gazing into the sky, "Harvest" is the artist’s sanctification of humanity and labor and his statement about the power of faith and hope. "Pounding Rice," a much later work by the artist, also reflects a change of palette and texture. It is estimated to fetch from US$47,200 to US$52,770.

A rare watercolor by national artist Carlos Francisco is included in the auction. The artist was known for his huge murals in banks and government buildings. "Wedding," is rare work in small size. All characteristics of Francisco’s style in his famous murals can be found in his paintings. His subject matter of people and a joyful scene of a dance ritual at a wedding was captured in this special work. It is estimated to fetch US$4,400-US$6,600.

H.R. Ocampo, considered as the more aggressive National Artist, was the leader of Neo-Realists. Ocampo easily stood out as a paradigm of the radically abstract in art. He has shown that one could be nationalistic by using a radically abstract idiom rather than a mimetic means of representation. His two works offered in the sale, "In the Beginning" and "Revelation," show an interim stage where figures became purely abstract with forms, lines, colors and textures. These works are estimated to fetch US$7,200-US$10,000 and US$8,880-US$12,200, respectively.

Two special lots of Filipino paintings will be sold to benefit two charities in the Philippines. A large painting by Jose Joya, "Abstract," estimated at US$6,600-US$11,100, will benefit the Bridges Foundation. It is a non-profit institution, set up in 1992, that provides quality education to children with special needs. Another one is a work by Anita Magsaysay-Ho. "Girls with Fan" is painted on a denim jacket in oil. It is estimated to bring US$2,700-US$5,500 for Bantay Bata 163. Set up in 1997, it is one of the key programs of the ABS-CBN Foundation for the protection and welfare of the Filipino children and families.