Foreign Objects
This presentation of Lopez Museum and Library for the Xavier Art Fest shines the spotlight on expatriate Filipino artists in the 20th century, Nena Saguil, Juvenal Sansó and National Artists Federico Aguilar Alcuaz and J. Elizalde Navarro. In the case of Saguil, Sansó and Alcuaz, the foreign-ness refers to both their status as aliens in lands they chose to call home and to the trepidation with which audiences perceived abstract paintings at the time. Navarro’s works on the other hand, reflect the fascination with which we behold cultures different from our own, and our shifting relationships with what is perceived as foreign.
Pioneering modernists, they are now among the most renowned Filipino artists, whose work is collected by museums in the Philippines and abroad. Nena Saguil’s work was featured in the main exhibition of the recently concluded Venice Biennale.
Federico Aguilar Alcuaz (Philippines, 1932-2011)
Alcuaz was part of the second generation of Philippine modernist artists along with Arturo Luz, David Medalla, Jose Joya and others whose works would come to define modernism and abstraction in 20th century. He was a prolific artist that first captured critics’ attention with his gestural paintings and would throughout his life experiment with different artforms including tapestry and sculpture. He was conferred the Order of National Artist for Visual art in 2009.
Juvenal Sansó (Spain, 1929)
Born in Catalonia, but raised in the Philippines from the age of 5, Sansó has been an enduring part of the Philippine art scene since 1950 when he won first prize the Art Association of the Philippines competition. Popularly known for his striking paintings of flowers and foliage, his character portraits reveal keen observation skills and an ability to convey emotions beyond what is immediately visible. Because of his contributions to culture in the countries that he’s called home, he has been awarded The Presidential Medal of Merit in the Philippines, The Distinguished King’s Cross of Isabela from Spain and The Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France.
Nena Saguil (Philippines 1914-1994)
Nena Saguil was a woman ahead of her time – the only female artist to be included in the landmark “The First Exhibition of Non-Objective Art in Tagala” in 1953. She was among the modern artists that in the 1950s would gather and exhibit in Lyd Arguilia’s Philippine Art Gallery, until she left for further art studies in Europe. She spent the next four decades living and working in Paris. While she received critical acclaim early in her career and had solo exhibitions in galleries in the Philippines, Paris and Germany, it was only after her passing that she started to receive the attention that she deserved with Philippine museums mounting retrospective exhibitions. In 2024, her work was included in the Venice Biennale exhibition “Strangers Everywhere” at the Centrale Pavilion.
J. Elizalde Navarro (Philippines,
1924-1999)
J. Elizalde Navarro was part of the august generation of modernist artists refered to as “Neo-Realists” that defined Philippine modern art. He stood out for his mastery of sculpture and mixed media. He represented the Philippines in the sculpture category of São Paolo Biennales of 1968 and 1970. Throughout his life he would display versatility and virtuosity in his body of work that ranged from painting and drawing to graphic design and sculpture. He was confered with the award Order of National Artist for Visual Art in 1999.