PeninsulaManilaGMSonja Vodusek-Vecchio, Dutch Ambassador Ton Boon vonOchssée and Han Van Hagen
Dutch brothers Alex and Han Van Hagen mounted another successful exhibit, “Van Hagen & Van Hagen: Brothers in Art Part 4,” held recently at The Gallery of The Peninsula Manila.
Presented by Fila, the exhibit was a powerful testament to the duo’s creativity and passion for the arts. Stunning, fab photographs by Alex V.H. and exquisite copper etchings by Han V.H. enthralled Manille’s alta sociedad and art collectors, palanggas.
A mainstay in practically all of our town’s high-profile social gatherings, Alex is a respected photographer who beautifully captures the faces and memories of each glamorous event.
But in this exhibit, Alex showed another side of his artistry by capturing the natural colors of a tree’s bark and leaves, as well as dried plants and other floral subjects.
Han is equally accomplished as his brother. One of the founders of The Etch-club of the Hague, Han made his first etches when he studied at the Royal Academy for Arts and Design at the Hague. He’s one of the most in-demand etchers in Europe, where he had shows attended by the queens of Sweden and the Netherlands, dahlings.
His favorite subjects for his copper etchings include birds, mummies, cows and bulls, sheep, architecture and history.
Needless to say, red dots were put under the photographs and etchings that were sold that night. Spotted at the exhibit were Arturo Luz, BenCab, Betsy Westendorp, Jaime Laya, Henry Sy Jr., Sen. Ed Angara, Vicki Belo, Charlie Cojuangco, Marylou Lovina Prieto, Barbara Aboitiz, Doris Magsaysay-Ho, Pepito Albert, Sandy Poblador, Wynn Wynn Ong, and Inquirer board chair Marixi Rufino Prieto.
Part of the proceeds went to Real Life Foundation Organization.
The exhibit will run for five more days, palanggas.
“Van Hagen & Van Hagen: Brothers in Art Part 4” was also presented by The Peninsula Manila, Belo Medical Group, Bench, Century Properties, Mercedes Benz and Philippine Tatler, in cooperation with Congo Grille, Furnitalia, Moët & Chandon, Moroso, Power Mac Center and Rustan’s.
Regatta’s new products
Durable apparel brand Regatta launched its new perfume and fashion collection recently at One Esplanade.
The event was part of “Sea-Ex,” the country’s nautical lifestyle expo. Welcoming the guests were Carlo Rufino and Ronnie Celestial, brand directors of Regatta and Memo, respectively, and Alice Liu, Golden ABC VP for retail brands, palanggas.
A leisurely sunset cruise around Manila Bay introduced Regatta’s latest summer scent, “Leisure,” with VJ Karen Pamintuan as host. Carlo Rufino passed around samples of Leisure for men, which has an outdoorsy and musky smell, and Leisure for women, which has a light and cool rosy fragrance.
Back at One Esplanade, a colorful show presented Regatta’s Summer 2013 collection including its preppy beachwear items.
Summer campaign
Health and beauty retail brand Watson’s teamed up with the Department of Tourism (DOT) for its “Sun Up to Sun Down” campaign held at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila’s Seafloor Garden by the bay.
The campaign aims to promote domestic travel and proper sun protection, especially during the hot summer months.
Radio DJs Menchu Antigua and Gino dela Peña hosted the event, while Manila String Machine provided the sounds to a heart-stopping poi dance number and fire-breathing stunts.
Robert Sun, Watsons Philippines general manager, and nice Susan del Mundo of the DOT promotions board officially launched the campaign.
Watsons’ guest dermatologist, Tina Batac, gave tips on maintaining healthy, glowing skin even under exposure to the scorching sun.
Two lucky guests each won round-trip tickets for two to Boracay, courtesy of Seair, palanggas
Watsons is part of the AS Watsons chain, one of the world’s largest health, beauty and personal-care retailers with a network of 2,500 stores across 37 countries, dahlings.
In the Philippines, its first Watsons stores opened at The Podium and SM Megamall in 2002. Since then, 315 more stores have opened in more than 50 cities in the country, serving over 200,000 customers.
For more info, log on to https://www.watsons.com.ph/web or Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/WatsonsPH or Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/WatsonsPH.
Erratum
Oops, sorry for the mistake, palanggas, Mandarin Oriental Hotel’s GM is Oliver Kreuzer (left) and its F&B director is Peter Pysk, who were both featured in this column’s April 12 issue.
PHOTOS BY DINDO GUTIERREZ