From the Declaration of Independence to long-lost Amorsolo paintings, León Gallery’s The Magnificent September Auction 2024 represents a broad spectrum of Philippine art history
León Gallery’s The Magnificent September Auction is always true to its name, annually featuring magnificent art pieces in the history and contemporary world of Philippine art.
For León’s upcoming auction on Sept. 14, 2024 at 2 p.m., the works going on the block feature an array of art by Filipino greats—from early Juan Luna and Félix Resurrección Hidalgo masterworks and bucolic pieces by Fernando Amorsolo to collaborations among the modernists and a Jackson Pollock-influenced piece by Alfonso Ossorio.
Also to look out for is the manuscript copy of the Philippines’ 1898 Declaration of Independence, imitated by a soldier from Aguinaldo’s camp yet still equally relevant.
At Leon Gallery’s The Magnificent September Auction 2024, a wealth of painted work and selected furniture testify to the great artistic talents throughout Philippine history.
Fernando Amorsolo’s “Under the Mango Tree”
Fernando Amorsolo is one of the most revered Filipino artists with many of his paintings considered as national treasures. He was the Philippines’ first National Artist and 95 years later, his “magnum opus,” as León Gallery founder Jaime Ponce de León calls it, has finally come home.
While there are a staggering 15 lots by Amorsolo in León Gallery’s September auction, this particular work is distinguished for its impeccable provenance, historical context, and direct testimonial by the artist’s daughter.
The 1929 work “Under the Mango Tree” was painted during the apex of the “Golden Period” when Amorsolo became a household name. The work exemplifies the artist’s painting style. While conservative in technique and subject, the illuminated works are awash in soft, luscious light.
From the collection of Edward J. Nell, known as the “Father of Philippine Air Conditioning,” the painting was photographed with Nell sitting in their former Azcarraga home (now Recto).
Mrs. Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo, Fernando Amorsolo’s daughter, gave a direct testimonial of the work. “He used to say he loves to paint beauty… I know his favorite is the mango tree and usually it symbolizes a family… I have seen one in the 1950s, the same thing, but different strokes… That is why I consider this as a masterpiece among the same painting compositions… All his styles in painting are there. The impasto [is] detailed.”
The treasure trove of the Amorsolos
Another prestigious work from the Nell collection is Amorsolo’s 1929 painting “Lady with Basket,” featuring the same young girl in “Under the Mango Tree,” now peddling fresh produce in the morning.
In addition to these two pieces are the artist’s renditions of war. While grim in subject, the paintings exemplify Amorsolo’s dedication to painting despite the ravages of World War II, persisting in his style where sunlight peeps through.
From the prestigious Priscilla Lopong Chiongbian collection, “Igorots Overlooking the Cordilleras” features romantic portrayals of the Igorots looking over the rice terraces instead of the usual Tagalog-centric genre paintings.
Meanwhile, the collection of the old sugar magnate family, the Ossorios, presents two later Amorsolo works from the 1950s, “Bathers” and “Fire Tree,” which continue to capture everyday rural life with the artist’s distinctive sense of lightness.
Vicente Manansala’s ethereal Cubism
León Gallery’s September auction brings to the fore remarkable pieces that highlight the transparent Cubism of modernist Vicente Manansala.
From the collection of Dr. Roberto Macasaet, considered the “Father of Philippine Healthcare,” “Candle Vendor” reflects the subtle depths created by the artist through shadow, shape, and color, as a figure squats, wielding candles, surrounded by suggestions of saints and stampitas in the background.
Chiongbian highlights the work of Manansala, who was her close friend and regular patron. Known as the “Mother of Sarangani” and the province’s first-ever governor in 1992, she would invite Manansala on trips, for the artist’s relaxation and inspiration.
“Woman Playing Guitar” was painted by Manansala in Los Angeles during a two-month vacation abroad with Chiongbian, spanning Paris, New York, and Los Angeles. The painting features atmospheric colors in gold and the intentional three-color choice of the Philippine flag, with a composition referencing “Inang Bayan” and a solemn yet gentle folk atmosphere.
A modernist collaboration
Another exciting work is the collaborative piece by National Artists H.R. Ocampo, Cesar Legaspi, and Jose Joya. The modernists are all known for beginning the renowned Saturday Group of painters and friends who would gather in the 1970s to paint as a collective.
The work of this trifecta resulted in an oil on canvas output featuring the distinct qualities of each artist—Legaspi’s solid forms, Joya’s earthy color palette, and the contrast of Ocampo’s vibrant pigment.
Alfonso Ossorio and Jackson Pollock
The friendship of artists Alfonso Ossorio and Jackson Pollock is a story that is something of myth status.
As close friends, Ossorio was a regular at Pollock’s New York home, while Pollock stayed with Ossorio on his visits to the Philippines. Ossorio supported the great American artist not just personally, but also at times economically. He also contributed in part to the artist’s practice, influencing style and technique.
This particular oil, enamel, and plaster on masonite piece shows the pivotal moment in Ossorio’s journey as an artist and friend with the likes of Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, and French artist Jean Dubuffet—all of whom influenced his work with the raw, experimental energy of Abstract Expressionism. It’s seen in the black-and-white interplay that echoes Pollock’s action painting, exemplifying the Filipino artist’s own contributions to mid-20th-century art.
Old masters Luna and Hidalgo
Besides the modernists, León Gallery’s September auction features work by the early masters.
Juan Luna’s commissioned portrait of Adele Della Rocca, a niece of a senior officer of Italy’s King Umberto I, will be on the block.
At the time of the painting, Luna had already won the silver medal in Madrid in 1881 for the “Death of Cleopatra” and was in the process of painting the “Spoliarium.” The painting itself remained with the noble family in Rome until its serendipitous discovery today.
Luna’s contemporary, Félix Resurrección Hidalgo, created the portrait of Madame Rose Delaunay in 1907, of the famed French operatic soprano. It was painted during the artist’s time in Paris, and obtained from an auction in France in 2023.
A rare pinkish Arturo Luz
While the paintings of Arturo Luz are regularly seen on auction, this particular work features a collaged iteration of the Bagong Taon series, of cyclists celebrating New Year’s Eve.
In this 1965 rendition, Luz creates his simplistic linear figures, this time in a rarer shade of reddish pink with muted beige colors.
Elmer Borlongan
Among contemporary artists, Elmer Borlongan’s “Cabinet Member” strikes an imposing figure.
The five-foot-tall work, painted in the early 2000s, makes social commentary that pokes fun at political “cabinet members” with a double entendre that shows the everyday man bearing a large cabinet on his back.
The manuscript copy of the Declaration of Independence
Perhaps what is the most awaited document at León’s 2024 Magnificent September Auction is the manuscript copy of the Proclamation of Independence. It is to be noted, first and foremost, that the original document is safeguarded in the National Library of the Philippines.
On June 12, 1898, one of the military men of Aguinaldo rushed to make a single handwritten copy, imitated directly from the original. The author, whose signature appears, is Lieutenant Colonel José Bañuelo. While not entirely faithful, the document is still highly significant and references the Philippines’ recovery of independence that was removed by Legazpi in 1571, mentioning the then-recent abuses by the Guardia Civil and even Ferdinand Magellan and Lapulapu in Mactan.
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Besides these highlights are works by other esteemed modernists, like Federico Alcuaz, Juvenal Sansó, and Ang Kiukok.
Sansó’s dramatic early work “Nightscape” features the piled stones typical to the artist’s practice, but now in darkness, touched with traces of moonlight. While Kiukok’s striking work “Android” leans away from happy, pretty, light things, in the vein of the artist’s typically darker style, with an interesting use of watercolor washes grouped in divisions to create a sense of eerie, almost robotic expressive cubism.
The striking paintings of Fernando Zobel also take center stage. While significant abstract pieces from Bernardo Pacquing’s body of work feature in the early part of the auction.
There will also be a significant amount of work by contemporary Filipino artists—a few dreamlike paintings of Marcel Antonio, the sought-after sculptures of Michael Cacnio as well as a sculpture by Eduardo Castrillo.
READ: Sculptor Cameron Castrillo honors his family’s arts legacy in debut solo ‘Beyond Brass’ at the NCCA
Other modern contemporary artists include the multicolored, gradient landscapes of Ronson Culibrina, three-dimensional thick pigments in the work of Arce, an installation of 83 resin-coated fabric bags by Jose John Santos III as well as a piece by Kitty Taniguchi.
Contemporary artwork by Lao Lianben will also feature his meditative, minimalist yet dynamic pieces as well as a striking painting of Ronald Ventura, who once said, “The human anatomy has fascinated me ever since I was a child,” in a reinterpretation of the hanged man, with an expressive figure hanging-upside down.
Malabon Zoo founder Manny Tangco will also be placing a painting by respected artist Araceli Dans to raise funds for the protection and care of the animals in his zoo, contributing a philanthropic aspect to the auction house.
Leon Gallery’s The Magnificent September Auction 2024 will take place on Sept. 14, Saturday at 2 p.m.
The preview will be held from Saturday to Friday, Sept. 7 to 13, 2024, between 9 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. at G/F Eurovilla 1, located at the corner of Rufino and Legazpi Streets in Legazpi Village, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines.
For more information, visit www.león-gallery.com, email info@león-gallery.com, or call +632 8856-2781.
View the catalog here.