Salcedo Auctions ‘Finer Pursuits: Important Philippine Art & Rare Collectibles’ sale is on Saturday, 14 June 2025, 2 p.m. at NEX Tower, 6786 Ayala Avenue, Makati.
As it continues celebrating its 15th year, Salcedo Auctions ups the momentum with a significant line-up for its second marquee auction in 2025—Finer Pursuits: Important Philippine Art & Rare Collectibles.
“It is a landmark event that pays tribute to the rare, the refined, and the remarkable,” Salcedo Auctions chairman and chief specialist Richie Lerma writes in the auction catalogue. “More than an auction, this is a celebration of the Filipino spirit—expressed through masterworks by global Filipino artists and the visionary collectors who championed them.”
From the estate of late fashion icon Auggie Cordero, Onib Olmedo’s untitled painting of a woman with violin, 1992, oil on canvas, estimated at P380,000-P430,000; BenCab’s untitled mixed media work from 1970, 24 x 22 ½ inches, from the collection of the late British acting legend Glenda Jackson, estimated at P1,600,000-P1,800,000
From the estate of the late fashion icon Auggie Cordero comes Onib Olmedo’s untitled painting of a woman with violin, 2007, oil on canvas, estimated at P380,000-P430,000.
There’s BenCab’s untitled mixed media work from 1970, 24 x 22 ½ inches, from the collection of the late British actress Glenda Jackson, estimated at P1,600,000-P1,800,000.
The event also marks the launch of The Well-Appointed Life Experiences—an exciting new feature that offers curated global destinations and lifestyle experiences. “These experiences—rooted in Filipino artistry, hospitality, and elegance—embody our nation’s unique take on living a life of meaning, beauty, and sophistication,” adds Lerma.
Goreng Dalam Dua Gaya, Pacita Abad, 1997, oil, batik, tie-dyed cloth, sequins, plastic buttons, and embroidered mirrors on stitched and padded canvas, 49 1/2 x 33 inches, estimate P1,800,000-P2,600,000
This edition of Finer Pursuits focuses on artists who’ve defined the Philippines’ cultural identity on the world stage—among others, Pacita Abad, Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, BenCab, José Joya, Vicente Manansala, Juvenal Sansó, and Fernando Zóbel. Some of their masterpieces come from prestigious collections here and overseas, like those from a distinguished Filipino statesman, legendary British actress Glenda Jackson, and the late fashion icon Auggie Cordero.
There are also two paintings by Pacita Abad, who has been honored with a recent retrospective in the US, Canada, and the Metropolitan Museum in Manila.
A selection of paintings from the 1950s to the 1970s represents some of the most important moments in art. Works from these eras represent a period of heightened liberalism—owing to great strides in travel and technology marked by the emergence of new political and art movements.
They represent a generation shaped by sociocultural shifts that disrupted the art world. Amid these external forces, they all searched within to create an artistic language unique to their practice.
From the collection of a distinguished Filipino statesman, two works by Federico Aguilar Alcuaz: ‘Paisaje en Azul,’ 1967, oil on canvas, 38 ¼ x 31 inches, estimated at P1,200,000-P1,500,000 (left); ‘Florero,’ 1965, mixed media on canvas, 51 ½ x 35 ½ inches, estimated at P2,400,000-P2,800,000.
Born in 1910, Manansala was the most senior of the group, a pioneering modernist who drew from Western formal innovations to portray iconic Filipino subjects in the transparent cubist style he would be renowned for. In this auction, his powerful untitled painting of carabaos from 1966 is a significant example.
In contrast, Alcuaz was more adventurous, exemplified by three works on offer completed during his golden years spanning the ’60s to the ’70s. There is the impressionist render of View of Manila from 1975, and two disparate abstracts: the delicate Florera painted 10 years prior, and the forceful Paisahe en Azul from 1967.
‘Flight,’ Jose Joya, 1962, oil on panel, 29 x 47 ¼ inches, estimated at PHP 7,000,000-P9,000,000
Jose Joya was undoubtedly moved by the Abstract Expressionist art he encountered in the US. His creative manifesto emerged from that experience, as exemplified in a 1962 piece titled Flight. In his assessment, modernism is neither sacred nor to be defiled, but a field full of promise which set his innate tendencies free.
A bookpiece included in Fernando Zobel’s ‘Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings’ 1946-1984, ‘Erenos,’ from 1959, oil on canvas, 28 ½ x 23 ½ inches, estimate upon request (left); Untitled landscape, Juvenal Sansol, c. 1960s, oil on canvas, 19 ¼ x 25 ¼ inches, estimated at P450,000-650,000, from the estate of distinguished Filipino statesman
Unlike Joya, Zobel and Sanso turned their gaze toward Europe. Sanso’s summers in Brittany helped him move on from his Black Period, yielding the vibrant landscapes and still lifes that defined his later career.
Escaping the corporate life in Manila, Zobel settled down in Spain but continued incorporating Asian artistic traditions in his practice. Three of Zobel’s iconic paintings in the auction catalogue are book pieces marking significant turning points in his career. Erenos, from 1959, is a final burst of the explosive energy from his Saeta series, preceding the broody depths of his Serie Negra. The artist conveys stillness in the 1964 painting, Acento Grave, where a singular orange stroke violates the monochrome blur of its background.
From Fernando Zobel: “Acento Grave,” 1964, oil on canvas, 18 x 11 ¾ inches, estimated at P3,300,000-P3,800,000 (left); “Meditacion Sobre Sargent,” 1969, oil on canvas, 31 ½ x 31 ½ inches, estimated at P20,000,000-P22,000,000
Meditacion Sobre Sargent from 1969 is an homage to the American figurative master John Singer Sargent. Zobel’s figure is distilled in a haze, a graceful stroke running across it alluding to Sargent’s signature textural folds. This work reflects Zobel’s influences, fusing abstraction with nascent figuration in a tribute transcending direct reference.
All these masters left a lasting legacy to inspire generations of artists—a finer pursuit of artistic expression and a tradition of enduring excellence.
Salcedo Auctions ‘Finer Pursuits: Important Philippine Art & Rare Collectibles’ sale, presented in association with Exclusive Bank Partner UnionBank Elite, is on Saturday, 14 June 2025, 2 p.m. at NEX Tower, 6786 Ayala Avenue, Makati City. View the catalogue and register to bid at FINER PURSUITS
