ANG KIUKOK’s The Man

SALCEDO AUCTIONS will hold its first major sale of the year with pieces by Justin Nuyda, Ang Kiukok, and H.R. Ocampo up for bid. Carrying the theme “Legacy Refined, the Important Philippine Art,” the sale will be held on March 14 at the NEX Tower, 6786 Ayala Ave., Makati City.

“Legacy are values [and] objects that we pass to our succeeding generations. It is the reason why people collect these pieces. It is something they enjoy. And these are also objects that tell stories,” Salcedo Auctions director Richie Lerma told BusinessWorld at the media preview on March 4. “We like to think that the stories regarding these pieces that you find in Salcedo auctions will continue to be told,” he added.

Among the highlights in sale are artworks from the collection of jewelry artist Celia Molano. HR Ocampo and Ang Kiukok were among her closest friends.

Mr. Lerma explained that in the 1970s, when Ang Kiukok was less well known, the artist had papers seized and kept in the Bureau of Immigration.

“A collector by the name of Priscilla Chongbian contacts her friend, Celia Molano, to help this artist get his papers out of the Bureau of Immigration, otherwise he was going to get deported,” Mr. Lerma said, adding that Mrs. Molano did not know who the artist was.

“Little did she know that by that act she had changed the course of Philippine art history. That gesture grew into a friendship wherein not only did Ang Kiukok paint works that had dedications to Mrs. Molano, but the Molanos as art patrons also collected his works, among others,” he added.

The first of the highlight pieces is Ang Kiukok’s Man (1978), an oil painting of a distorted human body which, Mr. Lerma explained, was inspired by a conversation the artist had with Mrs. Molano’s husband who was a UN official while he was waiting for news on his next post.

Another piece from the Molano collection is Gemini (1967), an oil on canvas by National Artist H.R. Ocampo. The red, orange, and yellow abstract was inspired by the twin waterfalls of Maria Cristina in the Agus River of Mindanao.

NUYDA COLLECTION
The second collection in the auction is a set of paintings by abstractionist Justin Nuyda in which he pays tribute to the doctors who have attended to him since being diagnosed with renal cancer in 2019.

The collection consists of four abstracts titled Search Landscapes: Michelli, Dennis, Charity, and Brian. Each painting is named after one of his doctors.

Proceeds from the sale of these works will go to the Kythe Foundation, an organization that helps improve the quality of life of hospitalized children with cancer and other chronic illnesses.

The third collection features rare early untitled works by the “Father of Philippine Conceptual Art” Roberto Chabet, which he left with long-time friend and fellow artist Luis Romero.

Aside from these collections, there will be works by National Artists Fernando Amorsolo, Cesar Legaspi, Vicente Manansala, Napoleon Abueva, José Joya, and Benedictos “BenCab” Cabrera in the auction. Contemporary works include pieces by Ronald Ventura, Lao Lianben, and Ramon Orlina.

Also on sale are furniture, jewelry, and watches including a 10-seat kamagong and balayong wood dining table by Maximo Viola, an 18k white gold emerald fringe necklace composed of five Zambian emeralds, and a Patek Philippe Nautilus Flyback Chronograph ref. no. 5980R-001.

The auction will be held on March 14, 2 p.m., at NEX Tower, 6786 Ayala Avenue, Makati City. The public preview runs daily until March 13. Salcedo Auctions’ Important Philippine Art online catalogue is available at salcedoauctions.com. For inquiries, e-mail info@salcedoauctions.com or call 8659-4094, 8823-0956, or 0917-107-5581. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman

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