Leon Gallery to hold benefit auction for Asian Cultural Council grantees

Malu Gamboa- Lindo, ACC Phils. Foundation (ACCPF)Trustee, Madge Reyes, ACC alumna (2018), 

Ma. Christine Muyco, ACC Grantee 2023, Maribel Ongpin, ACCPF President, Ernest Escaler, ACCPF Chairman, 

Teresa Rances, ACC Phils. Director,  and Corinne de San Jose, ACC Grantee 2023

León Gallery opens another art-filled year with its annual partnership with The Asian Cultural Council to celebrate the visionary artistry of Filipino talent.

From revered National Artists and icons of modern and contemporary art, to young and celebrated artists of their generation, the list of Filipino artists who have received the Asian Cultural Council fellowship grant which allows them to further hone their knowledge in other countries continue to grow.

This year, ACC Philippines Foundation Trustees led by Chairman Ernest Escaler and President Ma. Isabel Ongpin, carries on its commitment to raise funds through the Asian Cultural Council Auction. 

The benefit event set on March 9, 2024 is curated and organized by ACC staunch partner Jaime Ponce De Leon and his team at Leon Gallery.

Proceeds from the fundraisers go entirely to the ACC Philippine Fellowship Program that supports Filipino artists in their self-exploration and development through cultural exchange in the United States and/or intra-Asia. Since ACC’s founding in 1963, around 300 artists, art scholars and educators, art institutions and organizations have received fellowship grants across all art disciplines. 

Leading the ACC alumni list are National Artists Jose Joya, Lucresia Kasilag, Lamberto Avellana, Alejandro Roces, Francisco Feliciano, Jose Maceda, Kidlat Tahimik, Ramon Santos and Alice Reyes. Among the ACC organization-recipients include the Asian Composer’s League, Ballet Philippines, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Museo Pambata, National Museum, Samba-Likhaan, UP Center for Ethnomusicology, and the Visayas Islands Visual Arts Exhibition and Conference (VIVA ExCon), to name a few.

2023 ACC GRANTEES

The following are the recipients of the ACC grant who will embark on their fellowships this year:

Japhet Mari Cabling is a choreographer and art educator. The ACC fellowship will enable him to attend modern, contemporary dance classes and workshops and inquire on other contemporary practices in the United States. 

Corinne De San Jose is a self-taught multi-disciplinary artist and multi-awarded sound designer. The ACC grant will enable her to research contemporary sound art, specifically sound art as site specific installations, as well as public art around New York City. 

Maria Christine Muyco is a composer, ethnomusicologist, and a full professor at the University of the Philippines College of Music. 

The ACC grant will enable her to hold a series of workshops on a song cycle with Southeast Asian cultures and to workshop the songs with a chamber music ensemble in New York City. 

León Gallery Director Jaime Ponce de Leon

"There is much to be grateful for and many milestones to remember with our first major auction of the year—the much-awaited Asian Cultural Council Auction of 2024," said León Gallery Director Jaime Ponce de Leon.

ACC Philippines Chairman Ernest L. Escaler remarks that León Gallery and the Asian Cultural Council have, for the past nine years, produced nothing short of a fruitful and wonderful partnership.

ACC Philippines Chairman Ernest L. Escaler

"Filled with gratitude for the year that was, we recommence with greater optimism to move forward building a legacy that espouses the transformative power of the arts. As we aim to actualize ACC's mission year after year, we seek the support of like-minded individuals and form alliances along the way to support our advocacy," said Escaler. "Foremost is our wonderful partnership with Jaime Ponce de Leon and Leon Gallery. Now in our 9th year of collaboration, we extend our deep admiration, respect, and sincere thanks to Jaime and his team for their dedication and tireless effort that makes our fundraising auction an anticipated and successful event."

Nena Saguil's "Still Life 02"

Anita Magsaysay-Ho's "Planting Rice"

In this opening salvo for 2024, ACC and Leon Gallery celebrate the birth anniversaries of three of the country's modernist stalwarts: Fernando Zóbel's 100th and the 110th of two of his closest friends, Anita Magsaysay-Ho, and Nena Saguil. Anita is represented by a rare rendition of the iconic "Planting Rice," while Saguil graces this sale with impeccable works representing her prolific career, starting with her beginnings at the Philippine Art Gallery to her artistry-defining experience as a painter of the École de Paris.

Roberto Chabet's "Window"

The works of Jose Joya and Roberto Chabet, two former ACC grantees who share the distinction of being the first Filipino recipients in their respective fields (Joya for the Visual Arts and Chabet for Museology, both in 1967), are also equally the centerpieces of this auction.

Of this magnificent full-circle moment, Ponce de Leon says: "The Asian Cultural Council Auction is always an occasion close to our hearts, not least of all because it brings to the forefront the abilities of our young Filipino artists. In the ACC's honor, works by Jose Joya, their first-ever grantee for the visual arts, are among the highlights, as are important pieces from another ACC grantee, Roberto Chabet."

The "sun and moon" of Filipino art, Juan Luna and Félix Resurrección Hidalgo, are also represented in this sale. Luna has three works that span important periods in his life: "Landscape in Bilbao," "Ecce Homo," and a lyrical work from his award-winning Roman period, titled "Idilio." The cherished troves of prominent Filipino collectors and stewards of the arts—Don Eugenio “Geny” Lopez, Romeo Jorge, and Assemblyman and Ambassador Pedro Conlu Hernaez are also featured.

A portion of the proceeds from this annual auction will help fund various ACC grants for Filipino and other Asian artists and arts-based practitioners.

Ponce de Leon eagerly invites everyone to participate in this landmark sale for the greater benefit of our fellow talented Filipino and Asian artists who have always wanted to spread their creative wings and transcend beyond their artistic horizons by venturing to uncharted shores. "On behalf of Team Leon Gallery, allow me to invite you once again to enjoy, experience, and join this new adventure in Philippine art."

Meanwhile, Escaler has only words of pure gratitude to everyone who has been a part of this incredible journey. "We also acknowledge the generous contribution of friends and patrons whose invaluable help and support through the years has been a source of encouragement and goodwill," says Escaler. "Let this new year inspire us all with a renewed sense of purpose as we make each day better for everyone."

The benefit auction starts 2:00pm on March 9, 2024 at Leon Gallery, Eurovilla 1 Rufino cor. Legazpi streets, Legazpi Village, Makati City.