León Gallery’s recently concluded year-end Kingly Treasures Auction set unprecedented records. Stealing the spotlight in the auction was Carlos “Botong” Francisco’s “Tinikling No. 2,” which claimed the top spot with an astounding sale price of P55,273,600.
The top 10 highest-selling works collectively achieved a remarkable milestone, with many of the sales dominated by Amorsolo’s nostalgic scenes and Zóbel’s powerful abstractions.
The auction also managed to raise over 3 million pesos for the International School Manila’s (ISM) Filipino Scholarship Program. Beginning in SY 1961-1962, this has changed the lives of over two hundred students. Today, the school currently has 25 Filipino Scholars, five in each level, starting from Grade 8 to 12.
The Filipino Scholarship Program is funded by an endowment to which the auction added to. A committee was formed for this fundraising headed by Superintendent William Brown, Head of Advancement Anna Goco, parents Ken Hakuta and Lina Juntilla, Miguel Ramos, Anton Ramos, attorney and auctioneer Antonio Manahan and Jaime Ponce de Leon of Leon Gallery.
READ: Highlights of León Gallery’s year-end Kingly Treasures Auction
Here are the auction’s top 10 bestselling works.
1. “Tinikling No. 2” by Carlos “Botong” Francisco: P55,273,600
Carlos Botong V. Francisco’s “Tinikling No. 2”
Botong Francisco’s massive 15 ft.-long “Tinikling No. 2” was a major highlight of the auction, and was rightly the cover of the catalog. His significance in Philippine art history is shown in this sale.
READ: Dancing through art history: Carlos ‘Botong’ Francisco’s ‘Tinikling’ paintings and more
2. “Azul sobre pardo (Saeta 258)” by Fernando Zóbel: P36,048,000
Fernando Zóbel’s “Azul sobre pardo” (Saeta 258)
Zóbel’s stunning blue “saeta” understandably sold high, being a rare piece by the artist. It is one of only nine paintings of his “saetas,” inspired by Japanese sand gardens and featuring intentionally raked lines on the paintings.
3. “Josephine Sleeping” by Jose Rizal: P31,241,600
José Rizal’s “Josephine Sleeping”
All eyes were on Jose Rizal’s sculpture. Created in his final years, the romantic rendition of his final love, Josephine Bracken, was created during his exile in Dapitan. It was offered to León Gallery by the descendants of Narcisa Rizal, the National Hero’s second eldest sister. The 9.5 in.-long sculpture started bidding at P7 million, before rising to its final P31 million tag.
Rizal’s Josephine Sleeping broke the world record for the most expensive work of art by the national hero. It surpassed his bas-relief “The Filipino,” which he also sculpted in Dapitan and was sold by Leon Gallery in June 2018 for P17.5 million.
READ: Jose Rizal’s ‘Josephine Sleeping’ captures a moment of peace and love in his final years
4. “Untitled” by Alfonso Ossorio: P26,435,200
Alfonso Ossorio’s “Untitled”
A dear friend of Jackson Pollock and a strong artist in his own right, Ossorio’s abstractionist piece shows a stellar example of the artist’s work in abstract expressionism, this time on an 8 ft. high wood panel.
5. “Orilla 69. En Amarillo y Gris” by Fernando Zóbel: P22,830,400
Fernando Zóbel’s “Orilla 69. En Amarillo y Gris”
Another Zóbel piece reached auction heights, thanks to a large work featuring his signature minimalist yet impactful style, only this time with tones of yellow.
6. “Sabel” by Benedicto Cabrera: P21,028,000
Benedicto Cabrera’s “Sabel”
This particular work, painted in 2006, shows BenCab’s recognizable style, with his muse wrapped in elegant drapes and an earthy tone of palettes.
7. “Market Scene” by Fernando Amorsolo: P20,427,200
Fernando Amorsolo’s “Market Scene”
This Amorsolo piece is dated 1945, the year that officially marked the end of World War II in the Philippines. Here we see the artist’s distinct use of light and tone, now showing a market scene where life has returned to normalcy in the idyllic countryside.
8. “Portrait of Raimunda Chuidian Roxas” by Félix Resurrección Hidalgo: P19,225,600
Félix Resurrección Hidalgo’s “Portrait of Raimunda Chuidian Roxas”
A commissioned portrait by illustrado painter Hidalgo features an affluent patron in rich striped silk taffeta and a ruffled collar in sheer black. The work is demonstrative of the artist’s meticulous brushstrokes that show a truth to life but also a softness that had the ability to highlight dignified figures.
9. “Under the Mango Tree” by Fernando Amorsolo: P13,217,600
Fernando Amorsolo’s “Under the Mango Tree”
Amorsolo continued to be a popular choice throughout the Kingly Treasures Auction, with all of his works fetching prices in the millions. This oil on canvas painting shows a beloved scene of Amorsolo—a family congregating under the cool shade of a mango tree.
10. “Rice Fields” by Fernando Amorsolo: P13,217,600
Fernando Amorsolo’s “Rice Fields”
This nostalgic rendering features a classic scene of the Philippine countryside, with farmers, carabao, and local produce in tow, exemplifying the artist’s skill with light and shadow. Funnily enough, the price is exactly the same as another Amorsolo work, “Under the Mango Tree.”
READ: Fernando Amorsolo: A refresher on the first-ever Filipino National Artist
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Beyond these headlining works, other pieces in the auction commanded impressive prices: Amorsolo’s “Fruit Vendors” fetched P11,415,200 in a depiction of everyday Filipino life, while his work “Lying Nude” went for P8,411,200, in a strong rendition of the naked female form. ]
Contemporary artist Bernardo Pacquing’s “Tongues of Fire” sold for P5,287,040, while Benedicto Cabrera’s cultural rendition of an Indigenous person “Hunter’s Pasiking” achieved P5,527,360 and his trio of “Sabels” reached P1,802,400. Emmanuel “Manny” Garibay’s joyful “Emmaus” seemed to resonate with collectors, too, selling for P2,643,520. A “mindscape” of the late Justin Nuyda also made an impact, selling for P2,403,200. Contemporary artist Nicole Coson also broke her own records with printed images of Venetian blinds on canvas, selling for P3,364,480.
León Gallery also broke a world record for Napoleon Abueva with his piece “Chastity Belt,” which was sold for P3,845,120.
Among the modernists, Ang Kiukok’s stark expressionist work “Fisherman” sold for P7,209,600, while Cesar Legaspi’s dramatic “Three Horses” sold for P7,209,600. Vicente Manansala’s intriguing “Neo-Realist Pangguinge” went for P8,411,200.
“Lavanderas by the Stream,” the earliest painting by Anita Magsaysay-Ho to come to market, was sold for P8,411,200.
With reverence to history, an ethereal study of Hidalgo was sold for five million pesos, and many antique furniture pieces from both Batangas and Laguna went beyond the million mark, closer to two million. Jes Aznar’s portraits of Imelda Marcos hearing “Here Lies Love” for the first time also fetched P961,280.
A gorgeous work by Nena Saguil, Lot 58, sold for only P720,960—surprising as it encapsulated the artist’s pointillist practice and purplish palette well.
The substantial sales at León Gallery’s Kingly Treasures Auction highlights the growing global appreciation and significant market value of Philippine art and its masters.
The Kingly Treasures Auction 2024 was on Nov. 30, 2 p.m. at León Gallery, G/F Eurovilla I, Rufino cor. Legazpi Sts., Legazpi Village, Makati City. Visit www.león-gallery.com, email info@león-gallery.com, or call (02) 8856-2781 for more information.
View the entire catalog here.bet88