Rare PH modern art treasures take center stage at León Gallery

Insider Spotlight

• Rare works by Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Fernando Zóbel and Alfonso Ossorio headline León Gallery’s The Magnificent September Auction
• Magsaysay-Ho’s Two Women in Brown is described as her last tempera painting from her prime Philippine years, while Zóbel’s Saeta 82 - Filadelfia is the only Saeta painted in America
• Ossorio is represented by three works, including Seated Male (Face in Torso), a deeply personal piece from his celebrated Victorias Drawings
  
  
  

Collectors are in for a special treat as Filipino modernists and some of their works, all seldom-seen, take the spotlight at León Gallery’s The Magnificent September Auction on Sept. 12.

“We eagerly invite you to share with us once again this momentous occasion celebrating our nation's proud history and heritage,” León Gallery director Jaime Ponce de Leon said.

Among the standouts is Anita Magsaysay-Ho’s experimental 1960 Two Women in Brown, combining enamel with her pioneering use of tempera. Painted before she became an expatriate Filipina in 1962, the work is her last tempera painting from her prime years and the only known tempera work from the decade.

Why it matters

Two Women in Brown sits at the crossroads of two important chapters in Philippine art. It marked the twilight of Magsaysay-Ho’s prolific Philippine Period and was exhibited in the Philippine Art Gallery’s The Christmas Group Show in 1960, one of PAG’s last successful exhibitions.

Another rarity is Fernando Zóbel’s Saeta 82 - Filadelfia, a testament to his friendship with Philadelphia-born modernist Carl Steele. Painted in the penthouse of Steele’s townhouse, it is the only Saeta Zóbel painted in America and is returning to public view after more than 60 years in Steele’s private collection.

Zoom in

Zóbel’s El Recreo III offers another window into the modernist’s artistic evolution. Dating from his final years, the work revisits the Júcar River, whose structure and landscape had fascinated him since moving to Cuenca in the mid-1960s.

Three works by Alfonso Ossorio further deepen the sale, with two coming from his family’s private collection. The Angry Christ, rendered in brass, echoes Ossorio’s celebrated mural at St. Joseph the Worker Church in Victorias, Negros Occidental.

The personal side

Ossorio’s Sidrach, Misach, Abendnego continues his engagement with Christian imagery through his “Congregations” assemblage style.

Perhaps most intimate is Seated Male (Face in Torso) from the famed Victorias Drawings. The wax-resist work was a personal favorite of Ossorio, who framed it himself and displayed it in the bedroom he shared with his lifelong partner, Ted Dragon, at his East Hampton estate. 

Together, the works offer collectors something difficult to replicate: Philippine Modern Art with rarity, provenance and deeply personal histories attached.

“We sincerely appreciate all of you, and we always look forward to your pleasant company as we cultivate a shared love of culture,” said Ponce de Leon.

What’s next

The Magnificent September Auction starts at 2 PM on Sept. 12. The preview runs from Sept. 5 to 11, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., at G/F Eurovilla 1, Rufino corner Legazpi Streets, Legazpi Village, Makati City. —Ramon C. Nocon | Ed: Corrie S. Narisma