Despite her calm presence and keeping a low profile, Mercedes “Dedes” Zobel is a woman of action—in that she’s empowered lives through her family’s work with the Enrique Zobel Foundation, throwing her support to health, education and nutrition initiatives for the country’s marginalized. Meanwhile, her work as Emeritus Trustee for Women International UK, finds her doing philanthropy work among mothers and children in countries torn by war.
The always self-possessed Dedes is also known for her patronage of the arts. Apart from recently granting scholarships to dancers at Ballet Philippines and backing its other endeavors, she sits on the board of the Asian Cultural Council which sends deserving Filipino artists to their chosen residencies abroad in the hopes of deepening their art practice.
Which explains her rare public appearance in the recent Leon Gallery cocktails, a preview of this weekend’s Asian Cultural Council Auction 2022.
Lot 63
Brown Circulation by Lee Aguinaldo
Signed and dated July 14, 1975 (verso), aquatec (acrylic), 24" x 24" (61 cm x 61 cm)
“I find it very subtle and sophisticated and something that I can appreciate. It’s so subtle that it’s hard to communicate anything with a rectangle, but the color tones are just stunning.”
Lot 28
Imaginary Portrait of Sabel by Benedicto Cabrera
Signed and dated 1970 (lower right), acrylic on paper, 22" x 22" (56 cm x 56 cm)
“It has to do with the bulul’s anger, with the people not being treated well in the Cordilleras. It’s kind of communicating the end of killings. It looks like they’re communicating and mourning the future. The two women are kind of communicating; they’ve got ESP. There is a lot of ESP between them, so there’s a quick communication. And of course, Ben Cabrera is a fantastic painter of indigenous art in the Cordilleras.”
Lot 55
A Caryatid (From the Edificio Tuason on the Escolta, originally the Edificio Barretto de Ycaza, 1870).
Philippine hardwood (molave), the figure itself is 1.8288 meters tall/6’0” feet very heavy (requires 10 men to lift and transfer) 94" x 24" x 14" (239 cm x 61 cm x 36 cm)
“It is aesthetically very elegant, and it was one of the sculptures that didn’t get burned [in the Escolta fire of 1917]. It’s a very special piece because it is a wood carving. I don’t know much about its carver, but it is very special”
Lot 31
A Typical Filipina Beauty by Fernando Amorsolo
Signed and dated Manila, 1926 (lower left) oil on wood, 14" x 10" (36 cm x 25 cm)
“Amorsolo captures the beauty of the Filipina, who has such a charming face and very beautifully painted. It’s not woefully exaggerated.”
Lot 75
A Pair of Carved Mother of Pearl Shells
a) Depicting a Cockfight
19th century, mother of pearl, 83/4" x 9" (22 cm x 23 cm)
b) Depicting Horse Racing
19th century, mother of pearl, 83/4" x 9" (22 cm x 23 cm)
“These two are just stunning because they are beautifully carved. The setting is very original. It depicts a village setting, showing how they played the games of cockfighting and horse racing.”
[The Asian Cultural Council Auction 2022 is set on Saturday, March 5, 2PM at the G/F Eurovilla I, Legazpi Street corner V.A. Rufino Street, Legazpi Village, Makati. For more information on the auction, visit the Leon Gallery website.
Images from Leon Gallery