Carve, Mold, and Assemble: Modern Sculptures in the Philippines

Carve, Mold, and Assemble (Lilok, Hulma at Tipon): Modern Sculptures in the Philippines, a permanent exhibit at the fourth floor of the National Museum of Fine Arts,  is dedicated to Philippine Modern Sculptures.

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Gallery entrance

Featured here are notable works of Abdulmari Asia Imao (1936-2014), National Artist for Sculpture in 2006; Arturo R. Luz (1926-2021), National Artist for Visual Arts in 1997; and Jerry Elizalde Navarro (1924-1999), National Artist for Visual Arts in 1999.

Sarimanok (Abdulmari Imao, 1996)

Imao wanted to improve, revitalize and popularize the sarimanok (an ornate chicken-like figure or a decorative bird notable in Maranao Art and considered to be as old as their epics) style and he produced a number of artworks of the indigenous motif from the Southern Philippines in various media.

Fishes (Abdulmari Imao, 1976, bronze)

His 1996 brass sculpture, entitled Sarimanok, a  2 m. high sculpture work of art, was given, through the Magbassa Kita Foundation, Inc., as a gift to the Filipino people by the family of the Late National Artist on July 23, 2015.

Sarimanok (Addulmari Imao, 1969, bronze)

Also in this exhibition gallery are his three bronze sculptures, two sculptures entitled as Fishes, dated 1976, and another Sarimanok (1969).

Study of Figura in Red (Arturo Luz, 2012, steel and acrylic paint)

Study of Homage to Antoni Tapies in White (Arturo Luz, 2012, steeland acrylic paint)

The works of Arturo R. Luz on display at the gallery are his experiment with sculptural abstraction using metal, concrete and wood which began in 1969.

Study of Homage to Eusebio Sempere (Arturo Luz, 2012, steel and acrylic paint)

Study of Homage to Fernando Zobel in Red (Arturo Luz, 201, steel and acrylic paint)

Study of Homage to Gerardo Rueda in Red (Arturo Luz, 2012, steel and acrylic paint)

As with his paintings, he continued the Neo-Realist themes and the linear simplicity and geometric form in his geometric sculptural work.

Study of Modula for the National Museum (Arturo Luz, 2012, stainless steel)

Study of Tribal in Rust (Arturo Luz, 2012, steel and acrylic paint)

The sculpture of Jerry Elizalde Navarro, an avid experimenter and versatile craftsman, are actually assemblages constructed out of found objects and discarded machine parts.

Desparecido (Jerry Elizalde Navarro)

Man and Woman (Jerry Elizalde Navarro)

His linear sculptures use rods, pipes and mixed media using plexiglass sheets. His wife, Virginia Ty-Navarro (1924-1996), is also an artist whose bronze and brass sculpture Taurus (1975) is also on display in the gallery.

Idiot Box (Jerry Elizalde Navarro, 1964, wood)

Taurus (Virginia Ty Navarro, 1975, bronze and brass)

Works of other renowned artists are also on display here.  Lamberto R. Hechanova (1939-2014), reputed  as an incubator of Modernist sculpture in the 1960s, introduced the combined use of aluminum with wood and plexiglass in his massive and innovative sculptures and assemblages.

Space Aura (Lamberto Hechanova, 1963, oil paint and various metal)

Allegory in Aluminum (1968, aluminum and glass), by Lamberto Hechanova, landed first place at the First Exhibition of Philippine Sculptors in 1968

Cestae III (Lamberto Hechanova, 1969, oil paint and various metals)

Renato Rocha (1937-2001) used acacia, molave and narra in sculpting abstracted figures of animals, family, women and other free forms as they were stylishly economical, glowing with mellow warm patinas and strong and lasting in character.

Air Flight (Renato Rocha, 1973, wood)

Two Figures (Renato Rocha, ca. 1964, wood)

Federico D. Estrada (1915 – 1999), a lesser known contemporary of Vicente Manansala, was the first Filipino to work at the atelier of Pietro Amberti.

Affection (Federico Estrada, 1963, narra wood)

World Brotherhood (Federico Estrada, ca. 1960, wood)

Holy Family (Federico Estrada, 1963, narra wood) bears three faces – the Mother, Father and Son.

Pietri taught him the secrets of synthetic marble, floating strips, spray dotting, molding and general sculpturing from 1932-1940. 

Ramon Orlina glass sculptures. L-R: Lumba-Lumba (1988, carved green glass), Community of Joy (2020, carved peach amber glass), Gothic (1988, carved green glass) and Elegance in Simplicity (2020, carved green glass)

Ramon Orlina (b. 1944), who transfigured glass into art, was the first to carve figures out of blocks of glass using the cold method, cutting, grinding, and polishing his work with improvised tools and instruments,  a feat at that time yet unreplicated even in highly industrialized countries.

Paglalakbay (Rey Paz Contreras, 1990, molave wood)

Rey Paz Contreras (1950 – 2021) worked with urban refuse and environmental materials as artistic media.  He was inspired by the indigenous Filipino culture and created visual forms of contemporary images that explore a distinct Filipino aesthetics.

Supine (Ting Ping Lay, ca. 1995, bronze)

Early Spring (Ting Ping Lay, ca. 1990, plaster of paris)

Filipino-Chinese sculptor Ting Ping Lay’s (1927 – 2021) simple, minimalist, and semi-abstract works features figures that are quietly and gently contorted, placed in poses that are restrained, dignified, and mature. His two sculptures (Early Spring and Supine) were donated by his son Lionel Ting on December 18, 2020.

Eshu (1997, cold-cast marble and volcanic cinder), a floor piece by Agnes Arellano, was created for the Sixth Biennial of Havana and was exhibited there. Eshu, the “Lord of the Crossroads,” the mediator between men and the gods, is shown with two pairs of feet and three hands. He holds a cigar, a trident and a wine bottle.

Agnes Arellano (b. 1949) works primarily in plaster, making life-size figure sculptures. Her work explores women’s issues relative to the portrayal of women in traditional Asian sculpture by reinterpreting local myths.

Mother and Child Fusion MSeries’19 (Jose Datuin, 2019)

Gemini (Jose Datuin,undated, wood and brass)

Jose F. Datuin (b. 1956) is known for his ability to use lightly visualized symbolism with stainless steel as his material. He is also known for circular abstractions which demonstrate unity, both in material and form.

Balut Vendor (Idefonso Marcelo, 1982, adobe)

Father and Child (Idelfonso Marcelo, 1982, adobe)

Ildefonso Marcelo (b. 1941) is known for using blocks of stone in creating figures that connote strength and permanence.

Doxology (Julie Lluch, terracotta and acrylic) consists of two life-size works representing the two selves of the same woman. One is sprawled on the ground, cold and lifeless, while the other is alive.

Julie Lluch (b. 1946), a self-taught sculptor, became seriously involved in art in 1976. Working in terracotta, stone, ceramic and bronze, she is known for her life-size portraits and groups that present satirical commentaries on the relationship between the sexes.

Portrait of Celia Molano (Julie Lluch, 1996)

Eduardo Castrillo (1942 – 2016), considered to be the most avant-garde sculptor in the Philippines, he created, with the help of a group of assistants, sculptures by hammering, cutting and welding metal, especially brass, bronze and steel.

Success (Eduardo Castrillo, 1980, bronze)

The Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal (Eduardo Castrillo, 1991, bronze)

He also incorporated other materials (wood, plastic, plexiglass, ivory, neon lights, etc.) into his works and his oeuvre included free-standing abstract pieces, functional art pieces, art jewelry, body sculptures and liturgical art.

Jade Carrier (Solomon Saprid, 1989, metal and jadeite)

Solomon Saprid (1917 – 2003) was best known for his Brutalist School bronze sculptures. He welded scraps of metal together and the intricately sculpted brass details produced a characteristic jagged effect.

Poseidon (Solomon Saprid, 1981, black metal)

Duddley Diaz (b. 1947) created a powerful body of work that defies categorization, with sculptures that challenge notions of identity, sexuality, culture, and history.

Pagsilang (Duddley Diaz, 2006, wood and acrylic)

Departing from the impersonal and rationalist aesthetic of academic art, his work daringly combines the values of classical Renaissance sculpture with atavistic sources of inspiration in the figures of ancient mythology and Christian liturgical art.

Bloom (Rosario Bitanga Peralta, 2005, stainless steel and resin)

Rosario “Charito” Bitanga Peralta (b. 1934) is the Philippines’ first and foremost woman abstract artist.​ Her creative sculpture, consisting of metal and terracotta pieces, was predominantly inspired by the 1950s Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism.

Mother and Child (Francisco Cruz, 1967, adobe)

Excessive Machine (Ruben de Vera, ca. 1969, wood)

Bust of Edgar Allan Poe (Ricaredo Demetillo, 1969, adobe)

Other artists featured include Francisco Cruz, Rosalio Alcala, Jr., Ricaredo Demetillo (1920 – 1998), T. Rivera, Roberto Balajadia (b. 1945) and Ruben De Vera (b. 1942).

Weight and Balance (T. Rivera, undated, adobe)

Modernization of Manila (Rosalio Alcala Jr., undated, adobe, cement, concrete and metal)

Homage to Botong (Roberto Balajadia, 1989, adobe)

Carve, Mold, and Assemble: Modern Sculptures in the Philippines: Gallery XXIX, Philippine Modern Sculpture Hall, 4/F, National Museum of Fine Arts (NMFA), Padre Burgos Avenue, Ermita, Manila 1000, Metro Manila. Tel: (632) 8527-1215 and (632) 8298-1100.  Email: inquiry@nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Website: nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 AM – 4PM. Admission is free.  Coordinates: 14°35′13″N 120°58′52″E.

Gallery XXII (International Rice Research Institute Hall)

Gallery XXII, a permanent exhibit at the third floor of the National Museum of Fine Arts (NMFA), features two large-scale paintings by National Artist Vicente S. Manansala (1910-1981) from the collection of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

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Gallery entrance

These paintings were commissioned by the institute to depict Filipino life, labor, and leisure, and were completed in 1962. Initially, they were put on display on the walls of the dining hall and cafeteria of the IRRI headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna.

The two Manansala murals

Through a partnership between IRRI and the National Museum of the Philippines, and to protect and preserve the masterpieces, the paintings were transferred to the IRRI Hall, an art exhibition of the  National Museum of the Philippines in the historic Legislative Building. The two large paintings were elevated from Important Cultural Properties, to National Cultural Treasures (the first Manansalas to gain such status), on May 14, 2015.  That same day, an official heritage marker announcing the recognition was installed by the National Museum of the Philippines and the IRRI Hall opened for public viewing.

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The figures are rendered in trademark Manansala, with overlapping transparent polygonal cells that play up the two-dimensionality of the painting.

They are some of the most important examples of his work exploring his technique on transparent cubism in which, instead of breaking down the picture plane, Manansala devised figurative angular forms that uses, as reference, layered colors of stained glass windows, as well as the translucence of capiz shell windows and piña fabrics.

Watercolor studies

The two Manansala murals are a lighthearted narration of Filipino rural life. One is a joyful, pastel-colored medley of labor.  Flanking the two sides are scenes of fishing and rice-planting while, at the center, as focal point, is a woman bathing a child.

Kalabaw (Vicente S. Manasala, 1979, watercolor on paper)

The second painting, a spectacle of small-town festivities, depicts a game of sipa, the national sport, on the left while, on the right, are two men competing in a carabao race. The stretch of canvas is lined with a crowd of people watching two roosters in a midair cockfight.

Study of a Family Praying Before a Meal (Vicente S. Manansala, 1960, watercolor on paper)

Also on display are studies in watercolor for this series, which Manansala made for the IRRI commission, where his technique is perceptible.

Study for IRRI (1) (Vicente S. Manansala, ca. 1962, watercolor on paper)

Study for IRRI (2) (Vicente S. Manansala, ca. 1962, watercolor on paper)

Also featured in this gallery is “Philippine Folklore,” a large-scale, 1,536 cm. (50 ft.) long narra wood relief by renowned sculptor Jose P. Alcantara (1911-2005), Manansala’s childhood friend, from the Philam Life Collection which previously adorned the wall of the then newly constructed, 780-seat Philam Life Theater at United Nations Ave. in Ermita, Manila.

Jose Alcantara’s “Philippine Folklore” narra wood relief

It was made with the aid of his 4 sons and wood carvers from Paete.  It is composed of many wood panels, with gaps built together.

Women pounding rice while a guitarist serenades them

This is the second installation of his monumental work at the NMFA. Another, across the 1953 four-panel painting “The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines” by National Artist Carlos V. “Botong” Francisco (1912-1969) loaned from the Philippine General Hospital in 2012, was installed last March 14, 2019 at Gallery XVI.

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Women harvesting the rice crop

It shows a continuous scene where Christians and Muslims are doing their own festivities while staying connected to each other. Four of the smaller, decorative narra wood reliefs, of rural life and folklore, are installed in Gallery XXIV.

A farmer plowing the field with a carabao

Both the IRRI murals and these Philam Life reliefs bear the themes of rice cultivation and the culture that surrounds it, including rituals, festivals and belief systems.

A northern Cordillera harvest festival

Gallery XXII: International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Hall, 3/F, National Museum of Fine Arts (NMFA), Padre Burgos Avenue, Ermita, Manila 1000, Metro Manila. Tel: (632) 8527-1215 and (632) 8298-1100.  Email: inquiry@nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Website: nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 AM – 4PM. Admission is free.  Coordinates: 14°35′13″N 120°58′52″E.

Visitors shall be limited to 100 per museum per session. Visitors are required to pre-book online at https://reservation.nationalmuseum.gov at least a day before the visit. Confirmation of booking will be sent through email. Group reservations are limited to five (5) persons only.  Walk-in visitors will NOT be accommodated.

Spoliarium Hall

When you enter the National Museum of Fine Arts, from Padre Burgos Ave., the first exhibit, at Level Two, you’ll see is the Spoliarium Hall.  Guarding its entrance is the reinforced concrete, 2.9 x 1.2 m. winged statue Diwata (a gift from the heirs of Hermogenes Reyes and Teodora Tantoco Reyes), sculpted by National Artist for Sculpture Guillermo Tolentino sometime in the 1950s.

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Diwata (Guillermo Tolentino)

The Spoliarium Hall was formerly the House of Representatives Session Hall, site of the 1934 Constitutional Convention.  It is home to Filipino painter Juan Luna’s Spoliarium.  The largest painting in the Philippines, it measures 4.22 m. high and 7.675 m. wide.

Working on canvas and upon the instigation of Francisco de Paula Redoreda, it took Juan Luna eight months to paint this enormous and massive multi-figure mural which was rendered in frenzied fin de siecle brushstrokes. In 1884, this renowned painting was awarded, by the elitist Salon des Beaux Arts,  the first gold medal (grande prix), out of three, at the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes in Madrid.

Spoliarium (1884, oil on canvas) of Juan Luna

It depicts a despoiling scene in a Roman circus where dead gladiators, being mourned by relatives, are stripped of weapons and garments. Jose Rizal identified it as an allusion to the exploitation of the country by Spain.  This art achievement underscored the ability of Filipinos to compete with Europeans at their backcourt.  It was also a subtle affirmation of the Filipino’s capability to run affairs back home.

The author

In April 1884, together with other works of the Spanish Academy, the Spoliarium was on exhibit in Rome. In 1885, after being exhibited in Rome, Madrid and Paris, the painting was sold to the provincial government of Barcelona (Diputación Provincial de Barcelona) for 20,000 pesetas.

Detail

In 1887, it was transferred to the Museo del Arte Moderno in Barcelona where it was in storage until, in 1937, the museum was burned and looted during the Spanish Civil War. Under orders of Generalissimo Francisco Franco, the damaged painting was sent to Madrid for restoration, where it stayed for 18 years. In the 1950s, calls for the painting’s transfer to Manila by Filipinos and sympathetic Spaniards, led to Gen. Franco’s orders to finish the painting’s restoration and eventual donation to the Philippines.

Dying gladiators being dragged away

After the restoration work was completed in late 1957, the painting was broken up into three pieces because of its size, with each piece going into its own shipping crate. In January 1958, the painting was turned over to Ambassador Manuel Nieto, Sr. as a gift from the government of Spain.

Mourning relatives of gladiators

The painting was mounted on a wooden frame at the then Department of Foreign Affairs building (as of June 2020, currently the Department of Justice building) along Padre Faura Street.  Carlos da Silva, as head of the Juan Luna Centennial Commission, chose artist Antonio Dumlao to perform relining and cleaning of the painting. Carlos da Silva did the mounting, framing and architectural work. In December 1962, the newly restored Spoliarium was then unveiled in the Hall of Flags of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Jandy

In 1982, the painting was cleaned by Suzanno “Jun” Gonzalez and, in 2005, another restoration was made by Art Restoration and Conservations Specialists Inc., headed by painter June Poticar Dalisay.

Across it is the equally violent The Assassination of Governor Bustamante and His Son (El asesinato del Gobernador Bustamante), the most extensive work by another Filipino 19th century master painter, Félix Resureccion-Hidalgo (February 21, 1855-March 13, 1913), Luna’s contemporary and friend, who won the silver medal for his Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas Al Populacho at the same Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes in Madrid.  Circa 1853, it is also known under the more controversial title La Iglesia contra el estado (The Church against the State).

The 412 cm. (13.5 ft.) high and 338 cm. (11 ft.) wide oil on canvas painting, commissioned by Don Antonio Ma. Regidor (who never took hold of it), a Filipino nationalist, shows 18th century halberds (the 19th century halberds may have become more elaborate compared to those featured in this historical painting of the event that took place in 1719) being used by the Alaberderos (a special unit of bodyguards) belatedly coming to the rescue of the fallen Governor-General Fernando Manuel de Bustillo Bustamante.

The Assassination of Gov.Bustamante(Felix Resureccion-Hida (4)

In 1905, this painting was first exhibited at the St. Louis Exposition in the United States of America where it won a gold medal. The painting remained in Barcelona until 1914 when the painting was brought back to the Philippines by one of Regidor’s relatives. In 1965, the painting came into the possession of Mr. Manuel Lazatin Garcia and, in 1971, it was transferred to the residence of architect Leandro Locsin for safekeeping.  In 1974, in time for the celebration of Museum Week, the painting was unveiled at the National Museum.

Both paintings were declared as National Cultural Treasures.   Perpendicular to these two iconic paintings is the Arthur Walsh Fergusson Monument and the Battle of Mactan by Elmer Borlongan.  The former, the grandest and only monument in the Philippines dedicated in honor of an American bureaucrat, was completed in Madrid and Barcelona in 1912 by the eminent Spanish sculptor Mariano Benlliure (1862-1947) and was formally inaugurated in Manila on November 15, 1913.

Known for his Neo-Classic public monuments in Madrid and elsewhere, Benlliure, and his brother Jose, were classmates (from 1881 to 1884) of Filipino artists Juan Luna, Félix Resurreccion-Hidalgo and Miguel Zaragoza at the Spanish Academy in Rome.

Arthur Walsh Fergusson Monument

Fergusson, a Spanish-speaking colonial bureaucrat, served as secretary of the First Philippine Commission and later as secretary to a succession of governors-general from 1901 until he died from cardiac arrest in 1908. This bronze monument, on a Carrara marble plinth monument, was originally located in a small plaza (then known as Plaza Fergusson) fronting Ermita Church.

The monument was  replaced by a bronze representation of the Virgin of Ermita, by the late Eduardo Castrillo, and the name of the plaza was changed to Plaza del Nuestra Señora de Guia (later renamed Plaza Guerrero to honor the Filipino poet Fernando Ma. Guerrero). The Fergusson Monument was given to the US Embassy who loaned it to the National Museum of the Philippines for preservation and access to the public.

The large-scale (2.4 x 4.8 m.) Battle of Mactan” was painted by contemporary visual artist Elmer “Emong” Borlongan (who used predominantly red and blue pigments for this artwork) in 2021 to mark the 500th Anniversary of Ferdinand Magellan’s circumnavigation of the world and arrival in the Philippines.

The Battle of Mactan (Elmer Borlongan, 2021, acrylic on canvas)

Also on display are two halberds, the only examples of their kind known to exist in the country.  Officially used in the service of the Governor and Captain General between 1874 and 1898, they were taken as souvenirs by American troops and brought to the US, eventually entering the collection of Parkin Archaeological State Park (Arkansas) who, in 2016, donated them  to the National Museum of the Philippines. 

One of the two halberds of the Guard of the Captain General (1)

Spoliarium Hall: 2/F, National Museum of Fine Arts (NMFA), Padre Burgos Avenue, Ermita, Manila 1000, Metro Manila. Tel: (632) 8527-1215 and (632) 8298-1100.  Email: inquiry@nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Website: nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 AM – 4PM. Admission is free.  Coordinates: 14°35′13″N 120°58′52″E.

Gallery XXIV (Philam Life Hall)

Gallery XXIV, a permanent exhibit at the third floor of the National Museum of Fine Arts,  features the works of National Artist for Visual Arts (1982) and cubist painter Vicente R. Manansala (1910-1981) and renowned sculptor Jose P. Alcantara (1911-2005) installed at the Philippine-American General Life Insurance Company (Philam Life) Building (designed by National Artist for Architecture Carlos Arguelles) along United Nations Avenue, Ermita, Manila.

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Gallery entrance

The PhilAm Life Manansala Series consists of seven large format paintings (each measuring 1.2 x 2.4 m.) commissioned in 1961 and initially installed in the cafeteria but were, eventually, transferred to its main lobby.

PhilAm Life Manansala Series

Narra Wood Reliefs (Jose Alcantara, 1961)

The building was acquired by commercial developer SMDC in 2012 and the Philam Foundation placed the Manansala murals in the care of the National Museum in 2013, providing a PPhP5 million grant to fund, among other things, a Philam gallery to showcase the murals.  The exhibit was opened on April 3, 2014.

Ang Pamilya sa Oras ng Pagkain (A Family at Mealtime)

Mga Isda (Fishes)

They feature rural themes and local industries during the time of its creation – Mga Manok (Chickens), Mga Magsasaka (Farmers), Ang Pamilya sa Oras ng Pagkain (A Family at Mealtime), Mga Manunugtog (Musicians), Handaan (Feast), Mga Isda (Fishes) and Mga Kalabaw (Carabaos).  These were rendered in the artist’s signature style of “transparent cubism.”

Handaan (Feast)

Mga Kalabaw (Carabaos)

The Jose Alcantara series, made with the help of several hired and trained woodcarvers from Paete (Laguna), features four of the smaller decorative, carved narra wood reliefs of rural life and folklore, which were originally installed at the outside walls of the 780-seat Philam Life Auditorium in 1961.

Mga Magsasaka (Farmers)

Mga Manok (Chickens)

Mga Manunugtog (Musicians)

The series consists of Malakas at Maganda (The First Man and Woman), Mga Kalabaw (Carabaos), Mga Panugtog (Musical Instruments) and Mariang Makiling (The Guardian Spirit of Mount Makiling).  On July 2019, the gallery was closed to give way for the installation of these four reliefs.

Malakas at Maganda (The First Man and Woman)

Mariang Makiling (The Guardian Spirit of Mount Makiling)

Both the PhilAm Life Manansala and Jose Alcantara Series were declared as an “Important Cultural Property” by the National Museum of the Philippines on June 27, 2019.

Mga Panugtog (Musical Instruments)

Mga Kalabaw (Carabaos)

Gallery XXIV: Philam Life Hall, 3/F, National Museum of Fine Arts (NMFA), Padre Burgos Avenue, Ermita, Manila 1000, Metro Manila. Tel: (632) 8527-1215 and (632) 8298-1100.  Email: inquiry@nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Website: nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 AM – 4PM. Admission is free.  Coordinates: 14°35′13″N 120°58′52″E.

Visitors shall be limited to 100 per museum per session. Visitors are required to pre-book online at https://reservation.nationalmuseum.gov at least a day before the visit. Confirmation of booking will be sent through email. Group reservations are limited to five (5) persons only.  Walk-in visitors will NOT be accommodated.

Gallery XXIII (GSIS Northwest Hall)

Gallery XXIII, a permanent exhibit at the third floor of the National Museum of Fine Arts, pays homage to the works of National Artist for Painting Vicente S. Manansala (1910-1981). It contains 16 of his works from the National Fine Arts Collection and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) art collection.

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Gallery entrance

Beside the entrance is the Planting of the First Cross, an oil on canvas piece that combines the artist’s mastery of both traditional and modern painting techniques, as well as his unique style of “transparent cubism.”

Planting of the First Cross (1965, oil on canvas)

This historical artwork of Manasala, commissioned by the national government in 1965, in celebration of 400 years of Philippine Christianity, vividly captures the birth of Christianity in the Philippines.  It features Spanish soldiers erecting the country’s first cross (the same one that still stands in Cebu) in 1521 while Filipinos, with intricate tattoos (called pintados), stand with curiosity and interest.

Procession (1948) and Burial (1948)

Man and Rooster (1950, oil on canvas)

The other oil on canvas paintings on display are Burial and Procession, both done in 1948; Man and Rooster (1950) and Birds in Flight (1965).

Bayanihan (1979, oil on jute)

I Believe in God (1948, oil on masonite)

Fish Vendor (1954, mixed media on masonite)

Manansala also painted on jute (Bayanihan, 1979, oil) and masonite (I Believe in God, 1948, oil) and Fish Vendor (1954, mixed media).

Maria Clara, Blumentritt and Celia (1959)

Man and Industry (Study, 1962, tempera, watercolor and collage on paper)

Also hanging on the walls are 3 ink on paper sketches done in 1959 (Maria Clara, Blumentritt and Celia) as well as one charcoal on paper (Abstract Nude – Paris, 1950), one tempera, watercolor and collage on paper (Study – Man and Industry, 1962) and three watercolor on paper paintings – Calesa (1951), Veronica (1957) and Bahay Kubo (1975).

Veronica (1957) and Bahay Kubo (1975)

Calesa (1951,watercolor on paper)

Also on display, at the center of the gallery, is a bronze bust of Vicente Manansala (1998) done by the late National Artist and sculptor Napoleon Abueva.

Bust of Vicente Manasala (Napoleon Abueva, 1998, bronze)

The gallery also showcases the artist’s memorabilia from the Manansala Family Collection.

Manansala easel with a preliminary sketch

In a glass case are Manansala’s paintbrushes and palettes while at one corner of the gallery is his easel with a preliminary sketch.

Palettes of Manansala

Manasala Paintbrushes

Gallery XXIII: GSIS Northwest Hall, North Wing Galleries, Senate Floor, 3/F, National Museum of Fine Arts (NMFA), Padre Burgos Avenue, Ermita, Manila 1000, Metro Manila. Tel: (632) 8527-1215 and (632) 8298-1100.  Email: inquiry@nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Website: nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 AM – 4PM. Admission is free.  Coordinates: 14°35′13″N 120°58′52″E.

Gallery XIX (Pillars of Philippine Modernism)

Gallery XIX (Pillars of Philippine Modernism), a permanent exhibit at the third floor of the National Museum of Fine Arts, pays homage to the paintings and sketches of National Artists Hernando R. Ocampo (1911-1978), Ang Kiukok (1931-2005), and Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera (b. 1942).

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An array of H.R. Ocampo paintings

Most of these pieces were completed in the 1950s to 1970s, ranging from the early days of Modernism in the Philippines to the height of its popularity.

Fish Forms (Ang Kiukok, 1965, oil on canvas)

Ang Kiukok, who first attained prominence in the Philippine arts scene in the 1960s, had a distinct style, classified by some as “figurative expressionism,” fused influences from cubism, surrealism and expressionism. He was awarded National Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts in 2001.

Ink Fish (Ang Kiukok, watercolor on paper)

Towards the Graveyard (Ang Kiukok, 1955, oil on canvas)

The colorful and striking paintings of this renowned Filipino Expressionist portrayed a variety of cubist-like figures such as a mother embracing her infant, grisly crucifixions, tables holding an array of fish and fruit, stray dogs, and screaming subjects.

Watermelon (Ang Kiukok, 1977, tempera on paper)

Ang Kiukok was equally at home on canvas and paper and four of his works are displayed at the gallery – one watercolor on paper (Ink Fish), tempera on paper (Watermelon, 1977) and two oil on canvas paintings (Fish Forms, 1965; and Towards the Graveyard, 1955).

Imaginary Portrait of Isabel (Benedicto R. Cabrera, 1969, oil on canvas)

Sabel (Benedicto R. Cabrera, 2008, oil on canvas)

Benedicto “BenCab” Reyes Cabrera, awarded National Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts (Painting) in 2006, has been noted as “arguably the best-selling painter of his generation of Filipino artists.

Woman in Distress (Bencab, 2007, acrylic on canvas)

On display at the gallery are two acrylic on canvas paintings (Woman in Distress, 2007; and Self, 1965) and three oil on canvas paintings (Manggagawa – Laborer, 1968; Imaginary Portrait of Isabel, 1969; and Sabel, 2008).

Predestined (Benedicto R. Cabrera, 1967, pen and wash on paper)

Also on display are a series of 9 pen and ink on paper drawings (1968) and a pen and wash on paper drawing (Predestined, 1967).

Untitled – Series of 9 Drawings (Benedicto R. Cabrera, 1968, pen and ink on paper)

Hernando Ruiz Ocampo, a self-taught painter  and a leading member of the pre-war Thirteen Moderns whose abstract works that left an indelible mark on Philippine modern art, was a leading radical modernist artist in the Philippines.  He was awarded National Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts in 1991.

Ang Pulubi (Hernando R. Ocampo,1946, oil on canvas)

Break of Day (Hernando R. Ocampo, 1948, oil on canvas)

His art, described to be “abstract compositions of biological forms, seemed to oscillate, quiver, inflame and multiply” like mutations.

Abstraction No. 161 (Hernando R. Ocampo, 1978, acrylic on canvas)

Kasaysayan ng Lahi (Hernando R. Ocampo, 1974, acrylic on canvas)

Resurrection (Hernando R. Ocampo, 1978, oil on canvas)

His pen and ink on paper works include Bunker 68 (a series of 2 drawings, 1968), Palayok (clay pot, 3 drawings), Female Figures (series of 4 drawings, 1951 and 1969), Abstract (series of 4 drawings), Flowers (1978) and Parol (1968).

Female Figures – Various drawings (Hernando R. Ocampo, 1951 and 1969, pen and ink on paper)

Bunker 68 – Series of 2 Drawings (Hernando R. Ocampo, 1968, pen and ink on paper)

Also on display are two undated, 3 ft. x 5 ft. oil on canvas paintings  from a series of the Stations of the Cross made by Carlos “Botong” Francisco (1912-1969), both on loan from the GSIS Collection –  Station No. 3 (Jesus Falls the First Time) and Station No. 5 (Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross). Botong was awarded National Artist of the Philippines for Painting in 1973.

Angel’s Kiss (Hernando R. Ocampo, 1949, acrylic on paper)

Revelation 8 (Hernando R. Ocampo, 1978, oil on canvas)

Untitled (Hernando R. Ocampo, 1978, oil on canvas)

These two are part of the Don Bosco Chapel Series of paintings (including a gigantic crucifix scene) commissioned by the Salesian Fathers for the small church inside Don Bosco Mandaluyong and painted in barely 5 months in 1960.

Stations of the Cross No. 3 (Carlos V. Francisco, undated, oil on canvas)

To raise funds for various poor and marginalized youth projects, the 14 panels were later sold, by the panel, by the Salesian Fathers .  In the mid-1980s, Station 1-7 was disposed off and Stations 8-14, including the magnificent crucifixion altarpiece, were sold at a higher value.  These stations, minus the altarpiece, are now part of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ collection.  Stations 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7 are now in the hands of anonymous individuals.

Stations of the Cross No. 5 (Carlos V. Francisco, undated, oil on canvas)

Gallery XIX: 3/F, National Museum of Fine Arts (NMFA), Padre Burgos Avenue, Ermita, Manila 1000, Metro Manila. Tel: (632) 8527-1215 and (632) 8298-1100.  Email: inquiry@nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Website: nationalmuseum.gov.ph.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 AM – 4PM. Admission is free.  Coordinates: 14°35′13″N 120°58′52″E.