Leòn Exchange Online Auction Edition XIV under the Leonexchange platform will be held on January 18 and 19 (Saturday and Sunday) starting at 11 a.m. All bidding will be purely online at www.leonexchange.com.
Highlight of the auction is Hernando R Ocampo’s “Skyward” Boceto (1953), a rare and stunning piece representative of the artist’s artistic peak. Considered among the most original of Filipino masters whose works were uninfluenced by Western art, Ocampo’s vividly bold abstractions are groundbreaking by dynamically depicting Philippine landscapes and life forms in plain color palettes in a stunning multiplication of cells and shapes.
Influenced by the resurgence of Futurism and inspired by the advent of the Space Age in 1957, Ocampo’s dynamic study of the future’s lush and alien terrain found its final version as a major work in oil on canvas in 1959, six years after, as official entry to the 12th exhibition of the Art Association of the Philippines.
Sharing the center stage is a Mauro Malang Santos “Still Life”, which is unique as it deviates from his usual stained-glass window bouquet of sharply geometrical forms and genre scenes. This time, “light permeates from all sides, there are no shadows, and the palette is much lighter.”
Yet, in the same signature Malang tradition, as Juan T Gatbonton, eminent Filipino fictionist and journalist, describes the artists fascinating take on flowers: “His personally imagined flora remains a carnival play of clotted petals and leaves, fizzling out into minute jewel-like dabs of color.”
There are also a pair of Onib Olmedo’s “beautifully grotesque and grotesquely beautiful” depictions of the denizens of the underbelly of Filipino culture, which prove that art is not just about beauty but meaning. In 1992, he became the first Filipino to win in the International Exposition de Paintres at Cagnes-sur-Mer in France.
His nightmarish figurative-expressionist evocation of the dark realm of Philippine society is the trademark by which his earthy, clayey art stands out from the triumvirate he forms with Solomon Saprid and Ang Kiukok as founders of the Filipino Expressionist movement.
In contrast to Olmedo’s dark forebodings is Prudencio Lamarroza’s “Takipsilim”, a fairytale landscape of pure luminosity. Depicting a bagras, or Philippine eucalyptus tree, with a sea of spotted Easter eggs is not only highly sought after for its incandescence but also for echoing the tradition of drawing with circles used by Nena Saguil and Pacita Abad.
A child prodigy who started painting at 7 years old, Lamarozza student theory from Victorio Edades, composition from Diosdado Lorenzo, and Expressionism from Angelito Antonio at the University of Santo Tomas.
Alongside these fabulous paintings are the exquisite “functional sculptures” by Benji Reyes, who continues to impress collectors by pushing the limits of hardwood’s malleability by avoiding nails in putting his wooden pieces together; and, “Under the Viridian Sky” by Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, which “focus on the greener side of art and ensures the formation of aesthetic ecology using materials that serve as metaphor for everyday life.”
These one-of-a-kind masterpieces are offered alongside exquisite crystal and silverware, chinoiserie, Filipino period furniture, fine bone China, coffee table books, and rare photographs for an exciting online shopping experience.
“One can indulge his or her taste for the beautiful items at various price points at the upcoming online auction and all that from one’s armchair or boudoir. The online auction gives clients the convenience of bidding through their mobiles, tablets or laptops, without having to trek all the way to where physical auctions happen,” enthuses Leòn Gallery Director Jaime Ponce de Leon. “This convenience makes online auctions at lower starting bids—but no less fabulous pieces—trending.”
The exhibition will be open to the public starting Monday, 13 January, from 10AM to 6PM, with preview cocktails on Wednesday, 15 January, at 4PM at Leòn Gallery in Warehouse 14 La Fuerza Plaza, 2241 Chino Roces Ave., Makati.
It’s as simple as going to www.leonexchange.com and registering as a buyer. Visit www.leon-gallery.com or contact info@leon-gallery.com or call 8856-2781 for more information.
