Salcedo Auctions just had another record-breaking sale yesterday, June 25, with nearly 90% of artworks sold, said to be the highest verifiable results for the June auction season and cementing the auction house’s reputation as the top arbiter and barometer of the country’s art scene.
Salcedo chairman and chief specialist Richie Lerma described as “wildly successful” the June 25 live and online auction of important Philippine art and expertly curated collection of Philippine furniture and antiques, valuable timepieces, decor, and other rare collectibles.
ANITA MAGSAYSAY-HO, ‘Women Fishing’, 1971, Mixed media on board
The 1971 Anita Magsaysay-Ho painting Women Fishing sold for Php 26,864,000, more than twice its published estimate, the highest price for a Magsaysay-Ho in her distinctive ink blot style. National Artist BenCab’s very rare London-period 1969 work from his Scavenger series sold for Php 4,088,000. Sculptor Ramon Orlina continues to have strong results at Salcedo Auctions, with a third successive new world record set based on size, with Flight of the New Frontiers selling for Php 4,672,000.
BENCAB ‘Untitled (from the ‘Scavenger’ series), 1969, mixed media on board sold for ₱ 4,088,000.
Two major watercolors commanded good bids: National Artist Vicente Manansala’s Planting Rice, for Php 2,569,600, and National Artist Botong Francisco’s Untitled (Battle of Mactan), for Php 1,051,200.
Phone bidders competed for the very rare 1967 Roberto Chabet Objects VII; Chabet’s works from this early period scarcely appear on the open market. The acrylic on board sold for Php 1,752,000—or over 300% its pre-sale estimate.
VICENTE MANANSALA ‘Planting Rice’, 1971, watercolor on paper sold for ₱ 2,569,600.
Betsy Westerndorp, National Artist Arturo Luz, and Justin Nuyda also sold well beyond their published prices, drawing out their seasoned collectors.
Saturday afternoon saw a brisk battle between online and phone bidders, witnessed by a saleroom audience anxiously awaiting the thud of the hammer on the block. Bidding heated up for Michael Cacnio’s Untitled (Boy Reading) whose price doubled from a starting Php 50,000 to Php 385,440 in less than a minute! A tenacious phone bidder drove Lao Lianben’s Light to the final amount of Php 700,800, a significant price for its diminutive size of 18 x 13 cm (7 x 5 in).
MAURO MALANG SANTOS ‘Untitled’, 1982, gouache on board sold for ₱ 1,284,800.
Mauro “Malang” Santos’ Untitled (Bamboo) sold for Php 1,284,800 to a determined gentleman who bid live from the saleroom.
The afternoon yielded more impressive outcomes for the works of National Artists Ang Kiukok and J. Elizalde Navarro. Ang Kiukok’s Reclining Figure sold for Php 9,928,000, J. Elizalde Navarro’s Summer Storm for Php 2,102,400, another impressive outcome for the National Artist, all three of whose works sold.
Oscar Zalameda’s Untitled (Flower Vendors) sold for Php 1,635,200.
Reclining Figure by Ang Kiukok sold for ₱9,928,000.
Bolstering Salcedo’s reputation as selling venue for international artists, both works by foremost Myanmar impressionist artist U Lun Gywe sold for over half a million pesos.
Fine homeware such as sterling silver and porcelain also had commendable reception, with pieces by the iconic French houses of Christofle, Baccarat, and Cartier selling at three to four times their estimates. Nearly all the Philippine tribal and ethnographic art, rare prints and maps, and valuable books sold—indeed a clear indication of Salcedo’s continued growth as the country’s premier auction house.
Consignments to Salcedo Auctions’ marquee September auction ‘The Well-Appointed Life’ are being accepted. Send images of your fine art, furniture, jewelry, timepieces, and valuable collectibles to https://salcedoauctions.com/getting-started/sell or email [email protected]
