BenCab at the Met: 50 years, 150 artworks and counting
I first met National Artist Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera in the early 1980s during our long exile years in the US. The Filipino community was very proud to have someone of their own holding a one-man show at the prestigious Honolulu Academy of Arts and it alleviated our homesickness when we joined him for dinner in a friend’s home.
Physically, not much has changed for this 73-year-old soft-spoken artist with his tall, lanky physique and shy smile. But artistically, he has grown by leaps and bounds as he continues to be appreciated globally — becoming one of the country’s most-sought-after and esteemed artists of the 21st century. It is a known fact that BenCab’s paintings are highly anticipated in the international and local auctions. He also has a list of patient clients who are grateful if their commissioned works are finally ready after several years of waiting.
To celebrate 50 years of his work, the Metropolitan Museum of Manila’s elegant gala night featured a retrospective exhibit of the artist’s creative works, with more than a hundred pieces spanning five decades under one roof — ranging from his early works as a young UP College of Fine Arts student, his 1960s paintings (when he started his professional career) to his most recent works.
The Met’s gala dinner was a feast not only for the eyes — with artworks occupying every corner of the long hall — but for our other senses as well, with a delicious Filipino-themed dinner and music that filled our ears with the beautiful voices of Kuh Ledesma, Celeste Legaspi and the UP Singing Ambassadors. All these while we were surrounded by the artist’s paintings that were graciously lent by collectors from different decades. Kudos must be extended to exhibition curator Dannie Alvarez and Annie Sarthou because it’s not an easy feat to track down BenCab’s works that represented half a century’s work.
A toast to gala committee members Rose Anne Belmonte, Irene Francisco, Doris Magsaysay Ho, Zelda Kienle and Fe Rodriguez who gave us an outstanding evening to remember.
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The Metropolitan Museum of Manila exhibit of BenCab, The Filipino Artist runs until February, 2016. For more information, email info@metmuseum.ph.
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