8 HIGHLIGHTS IN AVANT’S ‘AMAZING’ AUCTION
Eighty exquisite pieces from leading visual artists are on offer in Avant’s “Amazing” online-only auction, on view at 8 Rockwell Center in Makati City.
The works highlight pivotal moments in Philippine art as well as artists’ development, technique and composition.
Important highlights are:
Lot 5—“Allegorical Abstraction” by Napoleon Abueva, wood, 1986
In the late National Artist’s masterful hands, this piece of wood comes alive as powerful allegory to the ebb and flow of the tides and the passing of the season.
Lot 11—“Mayor Kilabot” by Rodel Tapaya, mixed media, 2011
Tapaya’s early work before folklore interpretation focused on everyday life and people. This work is an example of the artist’s satirical bent, featuring an exaggerated portrait of a politician with a deceptive smile. Lot 16—“Christ” by Ang Kiukok, oil, 1998
In this rendering of Christ’s passion, the late National Artist examines the violence wrought
upon Jesus but frames the suffering in a moment of calm, a quiet but powerful reflection on spiritual transcendence.
Lot 24—“Stream” by Fernando Amorsolo, oil, 1948
The first ever National Artist was a master impressionist whose romantic depictions of rural life and landscapes shaped our aspirations and imaginings of nation and Filipino identity. This on-the-spot painting beckons viewers to a verdant oasis, a secret getaway.
Lot 28—“Signal Corps, 1904” by Antonio Leano, mixed media, 2015
In this diptych, Leano frames the horrors of war and imperialism with an air of nostalgic melancholy as two American soldiers pen letters,
perhaps command their duties. last, between Lot 34 – “Untitled” by Jigger Cruz, oil, 2012
This antiportrait piece is a defiant yet reflexive interrogation of artistic canons expressed through his unique style of auto-vandalism.
Lot 36—“Three Women” by Mauro “Malang” Santos, 2000
Featuring a trio of rotund women, this work is quintessentially Malang, festively radiant and more vibrant in palette than usual.
Lot 58—“New York” by Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, oil, 1979
The late National Artist was well-traveled, and this was made during his short stint in the Big Apple where he honed his technique and exhibited extensively in the 1970s.