Benedicto Cabrera

Benedicto Reyes Cabrera (born April 10,

1942), better known as "BenCab",[1] is a
Filipino painter and was awarded National
Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts
(Painting) in 2006.[2] He has been noted as
"arguably the best-selling painter of his
generation of Filipino artists."[3]
 Benedicto Cabrera

Cabrera in 2018

Born Benedicto Reyes

Cabrera
April 10, 1942
Malabon, Rizal,
Philippine
Commonwealth

Nationality Philippine

Education University of the

Philippines Diliman
Known for Painting

Awards

National Artist of the

Philippines

Early life and education

BenCab was born to Democrito Cabrera
and Isabel Reyes in Malabon, Philippines
on April 10, 1942. He was the youngest of
nine children.[2] BenCab's first exposure
and discovery of the arts happened
through his elder Brother Salvador, who
was already an established artist during
Bencab's childhood.[3]

He went on to study at the University of

the Philippines Diliman, where he explored
different art visual forms - photography,
draftsmanship, printmaking - while honing
his chosen craft as a painter. He received
his bachelor's degree in Fine Arts in
1963.[2]

Family and European Career

Cabrera in New York. c. 2013.

BenCab met British journalist Caroline

Kennedy in Manila in 1968, and married
her in London in 1969.[3] The couple
decided to stay in London. They have three
children. The eldest, Elisar, was born in
1971 and is now a film and web series
producer, married to award-winning
playwright and web series writer, Lisa
Gifford, based in London; Their middle
child, Mayumi, was born in Manila in 1973
and became a successful model both in
London and Los Angeles. She currently
lives in Los Angeles with her partner, John
A. Fries and their two children, Ronan
(2011) and Ione (2013). Their youngest,
Jasmine was born in 1977 and currently
lives and works with BenCab at the
BenCab Museum in Baguio.

Bencab's first years as a painter in London

"were not particularly easy", but his talents
were immediately recognized.[2] Over the
next four decades, he established for
himself a name of international
importance, holding exhibitions from
London to New York to Macau, and
winning several major art awards in a
career spanning four decades.[2][3]

When BenCab returned to the Philippines

in 1972, he was hailed as a Filipino pioneer
of the arts and a significant influence
among his peers. However, he returned to
London once more in 1974, partly to get
away from the tightening grip of Martial
Law, which Ferdinand Marcos had
declared in 1972. That event is said to
have "marked the beginning of [BenCab]'s
passionate involvement with social
commentary and the topics of repression
and freedom,"[3] turning him into a key
figure in the development of protest art
against the Marcos dictatorship.[4]

His Larawan series was developed out of

his nostalgia for the Philippines. He and
Caroline used to scour local flea markets
all over Europe looking for early maps and
prints of the Philippines. This collection
became the basis for his Larawan series.

In 1985, however, BenCab's 16-year

marriage with Kennedy ended in divorce,
and he eventually decided to come home
to the Philippines.[5]

The Baguio Years

BenCab eventually returned to the
Philippines, and settled in the City of
Baguio in Northern Luzon, eventually
putting up a studio and a secluded little
farm on Asin road, in the nearby town of
Tuba, Benguet. He and a small group of
fellow artists - visual artist Santiago Bose,
filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik, and sculptor Ben
Hur Villanueva, among others, established
the Baguio Arts Guild (BAG). It was during
this period in his career that BenCab
began to more deeply explore the use
handmade paper as a medium on which to
work.[3]
When the 1990 Luzon earthquake struck,
BenCab and the BAG helped out by
instituting programs such as the ArtAid
workshop for traumatized children, and a
fund-raising art auction they titled
"Artquake." Bencab was elected president
of the guild the following year.[3]

Later in the 1990s, BenCab's input was a

critical element in the creation of Tam-
awan Village, "a refuge for local artists
who desire a nurturing environment in
which to develop their talents, and a
community for all those who wish to take
part in the harmonious fusion of art,
culture, environment, and history."[3]
BenCab also exhibited considerably during
the last decade of the Millennium, also
reaping many accolades. Among the most
prominent of the many awards received by
BenCab during this period was the Gawad
CCP Para sa Sining (Cultural Center of the
Philippines Award for the Arts) in 1992.[2]

National Artist and Recent

Awards
In 2006, the Philippine Government
conferred upon him the Order of National
Artist for Visual Arts.[2] In 2009, the
University of the Philippines conferred
upon him an honorary Doctor of
Humanities degree.[6]

Published Collections of
Works
Five books covering BenCab's works have
been released:[2]

Ben Cabrera: Etchings (1970–1980) by

Cid Reyes;
Bencab’s Rock Sessions by Eric
Caruncho;
BENCAB by Alfred Yuson and Cid Reyes;
and
 BenCab: Nude Drawings by Alfred
Yuson;
BenCab Portraits by Ambeth R.
Ocampo.

References
1. "The National Artists of the
Philippines: Benedicto R. Cabrera" .
The National Committee for Culture
and the Arts Website. National
Committee for Culture and the Arts.
2008. Archived from the original on
2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
2. "National Artist" . BenCab Museum
Website. BenCab Art Foundation.
Retrieved 2009-08-08.
3. Andy Zapata Jr. (2003). "Homegrown:
Profile of Ben Cabrera" .
HOMEGROWNART.NET. Jennifer
Lapira. Archived from the original on
2009-08-22. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
4. Alice., Guillermo (2001).
Protest/revolutionary art in the
Philippines, 1970-1990 . Quezon City:
University of the Philippines Press.
ISBN 9715421679. OCLC 50184719 .
5. Marge C. Enriquez (2009-05-19). "How
tai chi brings out BenCab's creativity" .
Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from
the original on 2009-08-04.
 6. Regidor, Anna Kristine. "BenCab
comes home" . UP Diliman
Information Office. Retrieved
23 February 2012.

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Last edited on 16 September 2019, at 23…

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