THE 10 MOST FAMOUSFILIPINO ARTISTS AND THEIR MASTERWORKS

THE FRUIT GATHERER’, 1950

- Fernando Amorsolo (1892-1972)
- Labelled the country’s first National Artist in 1972 by then President Marcos, Fernando
Amorsolo is often known as the ‘Grand Old Man of Philippine Art’. The Spanish-trained
realist developed a backlighting technique, where his colorful depictions of local people
reflect the radiance of the Philippine sun. The figures and illuminated landscapes
magically glow on the canvas. Despite his deteriorating health and failing eyesight, he
remained prolific until the end, producing up to 10 paintings a month until his death at
the age of 80. Amorsolo’s creativity defines the nation’s culture and heritage to this day.
‘GRANADEAN ARABESQUE’, 1958
- José Joya (1931-1995)
- A Filipino pioneer of Abstract expressionism, multi-media painter José Joya uses bold
and vibrant colours with a variety of painting techniques, layering, loose impasto strokes
and controlled drips. His harmonious colours are influenced by Philippine landscapes and
tropical wildlife. His mastery lies in gestural paintings, where the paint is applied
spontaneously on canvas, sometimes directly out of the tube or through the use of broad
strokes with brushes.
SHE IS NOTED TO HAVE WORKED ON MORE THAN 5,000 PIECES OF ART – HER
MASTERWORK BEING ALKAFF BRIDGE, SINGAPORE, A 55-METER BRIDGE
COVERED IN OVER 2,000 COLOURFUL CIRCLES. IT WAS COMPLETED A FEW
MONTHS BEFORE SHE PASSED AWAY FROM LUNG CANCER IN 2004.
- Pacita Abad (1946-2004)
- Born on the northern island of Batanes, the internationally revered artist first obtained a
degree in Political Science at the University of the Philippines. Her staunch activism
against the Marcos regime in the 1970s, led her to move to San Francisco to initially
study law – but she found her true calling with art. Her paintings consist of vibrant colors
and a constant change of patterns and materials. Earlier work dealt with socio-political
depictions of people, indigenous masks, tropical flowers, and underwater scenes. Pacita
created a unique technique called ‘trapunto’, where she stitches and stuffs her vibrant
canvases with a wide range of materials such as cloth, metal, beads, buttons, shells, glass
and ceramics, to give her work a threedimensional look. Her many travels across the
globe with her husband have served as an inspiration for the techniques and materials
used in her art. Pacita ha participated in over 60 exhibitions across the United States,
Latin America, and Europe.
‘THE FISHERMEN’, 1981 |
- Ang Kiukok (1935-2005)
 - Born to Chinese immigrants, Ang Kiukok is the pioneer of Philippine modern figurative
expressionism. Rewarded as the country’s National Artist in 2001, he was one of the
most successful commercial figures on the local art scene from the 1960s until his death
from cancer in 2005. Like Amorsolo, his paintings are popular at auctions and have
received exceptionally high bids at Sotheby’s and Christie’s. He is known for his distinct
cubist and surrealist portrayals of the crucifixion of Christ and mother and child.
However, he is acclaimed for his series of Fishermen at Sea, which connects both energy,
faith and the struggle of fishermen under a vibrant crimson sun labouring together to
bring in the haul for the day. His notable works are represented in the Cultural Center of
the Philippines, the National Historical Museum of Taipei and the National Museum in
Singapore.
‘SABEL IN BLUE’, 2006 | © BENCAB
- Benedicto Cabrera (1942-present)
- Fondly known as ‘BenCab’ in the Philippines, Cabrera is the best-selling commercial
painter of his generation and a prominent head of the local contemporary art scene. He
studied under José Joya at the University of the Philippines and received his degree in
Fine Arts in 1963. His fruitful career has spanned five decades, where his paintings,
etchings, sketches, and prints have been exhibited across Asia, Europe, and the US. He
currently resides in the chilly northern hill station of Baguio, where he established his
own four-level BenCab Museum on Asin Road that features an eclectic selection of
indigenous artifacts, personal works, and an overwhelming collection of paintings from
contemporary Filipino artists.
Kidlat Tahimik (1942-present)
- A close friend of BenCab and Baguio native is critically acclaimed director Kidlat
Tahimik. Known as the father of Philippine independent film, the government recently
conferred upon him the Order of National Artist for Film in October 2018. Born Eric de
Guia, Kidlat Tahimik means ‘silent lightning’ in Tagalog. Before entering cinema, Kidlat
studied at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, earning a
Masters in Business Administration. His work is associated with Third Cinema, a film
movement that denounces neocolonialism and the capitalist system. His films have been
prominent at film festivals across America, Europe, and Asia.
‘SAGADA’, 1952 | © MASFERRE
- Eduardo Masferré (1909-1995)
- Further north of Baguio, in the mountainous province of Sagada, Eduardo Masferré was
born to a Filipino mother and Spanish soldier. He is regarded as the Father of Philippine
photography. He documented with great detail the everyday lives of indigenous people of
the Cordilleras. The self-taught photographer processed his own film in a makeshift
darkroom and managed to even produce prints without electricity. His photographs
capture the culture of the people in his community and serve as a documentation of their
 customary practices and rituals. Masferré’s photographs have found their way into
exhibitions around the world. The Smithsonian Institution carries at least 120 prints of his
works for the National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. He is
remembered for his book on the People of the Philippine Cordillera Photographs 1934-
1956, which was published in 1988. A country inn and café in Sagada is named after him
and is worth the visit to see copies of his ‘SAGADA’, 1952 | © MASFERRE prints and
purchase souvenirs created in Masferré’s honor.
‘CARCASS-CORNUCOPIA’ , 1987 | © AGNES ARELLANO
- Agnes Arellano (1949-present)
- Born to a family of prominent male architects, sculptress Agnes Arellano is best known
for her surrealist and expressionist work in plaster, bronze and cold-cast marble. Her
sculptures highlight the female body and draw from themes surrounding sexuality,
religion, and mysticism. Borrowing from the term of poet Gerard Manley Hopkins,
Agnes attributes her work to ‘inscapes’, that assert an internal unity among various
elements in her installations and sculptures. Drawing from the tragic death of her parents
and sister from a house fire in 1981, her work explores themes of creation and
destruction, and the cycles of life from birth to death.
ROBERTO CHABET’S ‘ONETHINGAFTERANOTHER’, AT THE MISSION HOUSE,
MANILA BIENNALE 2018 | © MARK DEMAYO
- Roberto Chabet (1937-2013)
- Born Roberto Rodriguez, he used his mother’s maiden name Chabet when he began his
career in art. He was a mentor to many students at the University of the Philippines,where
he taught for over 30 years, and is acknowledged as the father of conceptual art in the
Philippines. Chabet initially studied architecture but his conceptual art installations,
collages, and sculptures in the 1960s and 70s made him a rebellious figure on the local art
scene. He was the founding museum director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines
from 1967-1970, where he established the 13 Artists Awards that highlight the
achievements of young artists whose works show a contemporary view of art-making and
thinking.
THE CROSS AT MT. SAMAT. BATAAN COMPLETED IN 1970 | © ABUEVA /
1BATAAN
- Napoleon Abueva (1930-2018)
- Noted as the Father of Modern Filipino sculpture, Abueva attended the University of the
Philippines with Joya and was mentored by noted sculptor Guillermo Tolentino, at the
College of Fine Arts. Born in Bohol, he is also the youngest National Artist awardee
appointed by then President Marcos, at the age of 46. His expertise was seen in a wide
array of materials such as hard wood, abode, steel, cement, marble, and bronze.