Leon Gallery's The Spectacular Mid-Year Auction is expected to achieve new world record prices for the Filipino artists on its roster this Saturday, June 11. Of the 142 lots, there are works from local masters (Amorsolo, Manansala, Edades) and contemporary names in the art world (Jigger Cruz, Max Balatbat, Yeo Kaa), as well as important antiques with impeccable provenance.
It would be interesting to see how high the bids go at the auction floor for these treasures. We list here the lots with the highest starting prices—the highlights everyone will be watching out for as soon as 2PM strikes.
Carlos "Botong" V. Francisco's Moriones Festival, commissioned by a fellow National Artist Alejandro "Anding" Roces and from the collection of Architect Jorge Y. Ramos, leads the pack with a striking starting price of PHP 8,000,000.
Vicente Manansala's Madonna No. 2, the heir to his iconic Madonna of the Slums; the earliest Sabungero by Fernando Amorsolo; and Jose Joya's Alay all share the same figure: PHP 8,000,000.
Hernando R. Ocampo's coming-of-age work, Hat Weavers, clocks in a PHP 7,000,000 starting price tag. An early figurative work by the National Artist, the painting is, writes León curator Lisa Guerrero Nakpil, "perhaps one of H.R. Ocampo's most talked about, most remarked on, and best documented work,” representing a pivotal period in his artistic career both as writer and a painter.
Another Manansala masterpiece, Still Life, also starts at PHP 7,000,000. Meanwhile, the epic proportions of Blissful Thrones in the Tune of a Lazy Afternoon by contemporary artist Jigger Cruz is just one of many reasons why it’s pegged at a starting price of PHP 6,000,000.
Another set of works by Fernando Amorsolo representing two distinct themes in his beloved oeuvre is a fitting celebration for the 130th birth anniversary of the Grand Old Man of Philippine Art. The sensuous Lavanderas begins at PHP 6,000,000 as well while the poignant and haunting Maid of Bataan will perhaps attract more bidders with its PHP 5,000,000 starting price.
"Analogy" (B) is another well-documented work by Hernando R. Ocampo from his coveted 'Visual Melody' period. The old Archipelago magazine best described this work as a "rarity by those who know the artist's preference for a wide palette of tropical colors. Only two colors, red and blue, are here delineated to their analogies, making this at least a very unusual work for this foremost Filipino colorist." The piece is priced at an impressive PHP 4,000,000.
Co-presented by ANCX, The Spectacular Mid-Year Auction is happening on June 11 at 2 PM. For further inquiries, email info@leon-gallery.com or contact +632 8856-27-81. To browse the catalog, visit www.leon-gallery.com. Follow León Gallery on their social media pages for timely content: Facebook - www.facebook.com/leongallerymakati and Instagram @leongallerymakati.
Images courtesy of Leon Gallery