In this season of giving, Salcedo Auctions’ Under the Tree: The Wish List sale, its final online and live auction for 2024, on November 23, will sell eight paintings the proceeds of which will support the Ma. Nora D. Castro Fund, created by the Asian Hospital and Medical Center with the Castro family to assist dialysis and stroke patients.
It is a gesture of giving by the family of Nora Castro who passed away in February 2023 after battling a chronic kidney disease. Known for her kindness, generosity, and deep love for art, Castro and her grace and warmth will be remembered in this estate sale of select pieces from Castro’s collection.
Among the works on sale is a book piece by National Artist Jose Joya. Titled May Festival, it is an exuberant painting filled with the artist’s dynamic and lively brushwork to evoke an atmosphere of celebration, with every gesture contributing to a sense of rhythm and movement. A rare work by Romulo Olazo titled Mother and Child is just as vibrant: The composition evokes tenderness between the subjects, depicted in the artist’s signature diaphanous style.
(Left) ‘Tag-araw,’ Norma Belleza, 1985, oil on canvas, estimated at P180,000–P240,000; ‘Si Sisa, Ang Tindera,’ Hugo Yonzon, 1991, oil on canvas, estimated at P55,000–P65,000
Castro’s collection reflects her eclectic taste. Apart from the abstracts by Joya and Olazo, Castro was also drawn to folk themes, richly evoked in Norma Belleza’s Tag-araw, which shows the artist’s women vendors surrounded by summer fruits, and Hugo Yonzon’s portrait of a fish vendor titled Si Sisa, Ang Tindera.
(Left) ‘Thanksgiving Ritual,’ Manuel Baldemor, 1990, acrylic on handmade paper, estimated at P48,000–P55,000; ‘Daungan,’ Hugo Yonzon, 1991, oil on canvas, estimated at P38,000–45,000
Some paintings evoke the languid, provincial mood, like in a seascape titled Daungan (also by Yonzon), and Manuel Baldemor’s Thanksgiving Ritual, where a church with a brightly colored santo is the focal point amid humble houses, some of which appear decorated to mark the start of the Christmas season.
(Left) ‘Delivery Room Scene,’ Edsel Moscoso, 2000, mixed media, estimated at P60,000–P70,000; ‘Madonna With Cherub,’ Edsel Moscoso, 1994, mixed media, estimated at P30,000–P35,000
Though both were created by Edsel Moscoso, two paintings convey contrasting concepts. The artist’s Delivery Room Scene is devoid of sentimental motifs to depict the objective reality of a team of doctors seriously performing a procedure. In contrast, his Madonna with Cherub is evocative, showing a winged child hovering around a seemingly pregnant woman.
These paintings are reminders of Castro’s life and interests. By generously bequeathing her art to the Asian Hospital and Medical Center’s indigent patients, her family extends her legacy of compassion, fulfilling the wish lists of collectors and, more importantly, the hope for healing of those who need it most.
Presented with exclusive bank partner Metrobank, “Under the Tree: The Wish List” live and online auction will take place on Saturday, 23 November 2024, starting at 2 pm. The online catalogue is available at salcedoauctions.com. In-person preview runs up to Nov. 22, at NEX Tower, 6786 Ayala Avenue, Makati City, from 9 am to 6 pm daily (including Sunday, closed Monday). For inquiries, email info@salcedoauctions.com or phone tel. nos. (+63917) 107-5581, (+63917) 591-2191, (+63917) 825-7449. For the latest updates, follow @salcedoauctions on Instagram and Facebook.
