National artist Napoleon Abueva dies

NATIONAL Artist for Sculpture Napoleon Abueva passed away at the age of 88 Friday morning, February 16.

Filipino sculptor Ramon Orlina, through a Facebook post, first confirmed Abueva’s death, as he sought everyone’s prayers for the eternal pose of his fellow artist.

According to Abueva’s Facebook page, he was confined at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute on December 31, 2017 due to pneumonia.

Abueva, also known as the Father of the Modern Philippine Sculpture, was

born on January 26, 1930.

At 46, he was proclaimed as the youngest artist to receive the National Artist Award in 1976.

Abueva’s major works include “The Transfiguration” in the Eternal Gardens Memorial Park (1979), “Nine Muses” (1994) in the University of the Philippines-Diliman Faculty Center, and “Sunburst” in the Peninsula Manila Hotel (1994), among others.

The Metropolitan Museum of Manila also took to Facebook to extend its sympathies and condolences to Abueva’s family.

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) also condoled with Abueva’s family.

“The NCCA is one with the family of Napoleon Abueva and the whole nation in mourning the passing of the great sculptor and the national artist,” it said. “Abueva helped shape the art of sculpture in the country, ushering in a new mode and era in Philippine sculpture and visual arts in general.”

Malacañang also joined the whole nation in mourning Abueva’s death.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said the government acknowledged Abueva’s unparalleled contributions in the realm of arts, which “will forever be etched in the hearts and minds of every Filipino.”

“He is remembered as the youngest Filipino to become a national artist, who shaped the local sculpture scene to what it is now, utilizing almost all kinds of materials indigenous or native to the Philippines,” he said.

“Mr. Abueva also paved the way for the recognition of authentic Filipino talent in the global art scene, with his works installed in different museums both here and abroad. He will forever be honored as a renowned virtuoso whom future generations of Filipino artists will look up to. We pray for the repose of his soul,” Roque added. SunStar Philippines