The gavel&block online auction is on Saturday, 17 May 2025, starting at 2 p.m. The online catalogue is available at salcedoauctions.com
Salcedo Auctions’ subsidiary, gavel&block, is drawing younger collectors, proving the emergence of new market. Proving itself as the incubator for emerging collectors, gavel&block has the same categories as Salcedo Auctions’ marquee sales, only at more accessible price points. Like Salcedo Auctions, it strives to promote awareness and appreciation of the Philippines’ cultural heritage.
Untitled metal relief, Eduardo Castrillo, c.1977, 3 x 10 1/2 inches, estimated at PHP 18,000 -22,000 (left); ‘Bird,’ Fernando Zobel, signed and dated 1965, etching, 5 x 11 inches, estimated at PHP 24,000-30,000
Among the standouts featured in gavel&block’s first sale for 2025 are several prints by National Artist BenCab, a series of pastels by Romulo Olazo, a signed etching by Fernando Zobel, Ofelia Gelvezon-Tequi’s massive depiction of the crucifixion of Christ, and works by master sculptors Eduardo Castrillo and Anastacio Caedo.
The country’s younger contemporary artists are well represented with paintings by Francesca Enriquez, Antonio Leaño, and Marcel Antonio up for bidding.
Untitled (Taal Scenic View), Romeo Enriquez, 1959, oil on board, 18 1/2 x 33 inches,
estimated at PHP 14,000-16,000 (left); Harvest, Crispin Lopez, 1977, oil on canvas, 26 x 36 inches, estimated at PHP 26,000-30,000
There are also works by artists from the Mabini School—Romeo Enriquez, Paco Gorospe, Ben Alano, Cesar Buenaventura, Crispin Lopez, Simeon Saulog, JD Castro—and the Dimasalang group’s Ibarra dela Rosa and Cristobal Cruz. Unsung in the rich narrative of Philippine art, their works reveal the zeitgeist of their time. The esteemed collector Jorge Vargas collected their works.
Untitled (Market Scene), Cesar Buenaventura, signed and dated 1979, oil on canvas, 29 ½ x 59 ¼ inches, estimated at PHP80,000-90,000 (left); Untitled oil on canvas, Ibarra dela Rosa, oil on canvas, 15 x 15 inches, estimated at PHP 40,000-45,000
The Mabini group came together around the early ’50s, taking its name from the street in Ermita where most members built their studios. In the late ’60s, the Dimasalang Group—named after a street in Sampaloc, Manila—was founded by artist Sofronio Y. Mendoza, more popularly known by his acronym SYM. These two significant art movements converge at gavel&block as a reminder of their place in Philippine art history.
The gavel&block online auction is on Saturday, 17 May 2025, starting at 2 p.m. The online catalogue is available at salcedoauctions.com where the auction will also be hosted. Bid registration is ongoing. In-person preview runs up to May 16, at NEX Tower, 6786 Ayala Avenue, Makati City, from 9AM to 6PM. For inquiries, email info@salcedoauctions.com or phone +63 917 107 5581 | +63 917 591 2191 | +63 917 825 7449. For the latest updates, follow @salcedoauctions on Instagram and Facebook.
