Salcedo Auctions’ first sale of the year, Important Philippine Art & Furniture, yielded major surprises, foremost of which was Ramon Orlina’s new world record set on the heels of his record-breaking sale last February 5. The artist’s green glass sculpture Power of Coalition from the Tower Club collection sold for P5,139,200. The amount is over a million higher than his previous record of P3,854,400 for a piece titled Convergence also sold at Salcedo Auctions.
Also in the live auction, Ferdie Montemayor’s untitled acrylic on canvas fetched P1,168,000, which was well over the art piece’s high estimate of P500,000. This signaled Montemayor’s entry in the so-called “Millionaire’s Club,” exclusive to artists whose works can bring the hammer down to an amount of at least a million pesos, after adding the buyer’s premium.
Montemayor joins the august ranks that include National Artists BenCab and Jose Joya whose individual works fetched P17,520,000 each.
Other results: P2,336,000 for Mauro Malang Santos’ untitled painting of a woman, P1,401,600 for Juvenal Sanso’s untitled 1960s ink and watercolor-on-paper depicting fishpens at dusk, and P3,036,800 for J. Elizalde’s vibrant Ubud, My Bali Series ’94. National Artist Federico Aguilar Alcuaz’s untitled 1966 Barcelona-era abstract, which eventually sold for P4,788,800.
The auction was highly successful: Romulo Olazo’s Diaphanous #64 (P3,036,800), National Artist Arturo Luz’s Bottles #2 (P1,985,600), Elmer Borlongan’s Refugees (P1,518,400), Justin Nuyda’s Mountain Sky (P1,752,00), and National Artist Victorio Edades’ untitled 1961 painting of a communal gathering in a forest (P1,074,560).
The furniture section also showed strong performance. A grand Ah Tay bed went for P1,168,000, while a Bulacan Tambol aparador sold for P1,401,600.
Salcedo Auctions’ chairman Richie Lerma thanked the consignors and collectors who’ve always trusted the auction house, noting how Salcedo Auctions has become a benchmark and barometer for Philippine art and heritage craftsmanship.
Consignments for Salcedo Auctions’ upcoming sales are being accepted. For inquiries, email [email protected], phone +63288230956; +639171075581.