GMA Brandtalk
Tracking
Archives
Sculptor Ben-Hur Villanueva passes away at 81
Renowned sculptor Ben-Hur Villanueva passed away on Saturday, January 25, at the age of 81.
In a phone interview on Tuesday, his eldest daughter Bedette told GMA News Online that her father passed away due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that he has been battling since 2010.
Born on October 28, 1938 in Manila, Ben-Hur's gift with the arts became apparent early on, said his daughter.
"Pinanganak siya mahilig na siya sa art," Bedette narrated. "Kahit nasa school ang notebook niya puro doodles, puro scribbles."
She even said that when he would go home from school, his notebook won't just be filled with doodles but also with stains of mud.
"Nagmo-mold siya ng clay gamit putik galing sa bukid, mino-mold niya into clay," Bedette explained.
Ben-Hur is known for the "Ang Supremo" sculpture found in Bonifacio Global City, depicting Andres Bonifacio crumpling the cedula, instead of waving a weapon.
Bedette explained that her father wanted people to know that the revolution against the Spaniards didn't start with violence or with a knife, but with the ripping apart of the cedula.
An entry into the Bonifacio Art Foundation's competition back in 1997, Ben-Hur's sculpture bested 21 other entries which all depicted Andres Bonifacio with a weapon, said Bedette.
Ben-Hur was also the man behind "The Risen Christ" in Caleruega in Nasugbu, Batangas.
READ: From Baguio to Bonifacio: Sculptor wants more focus on the 'Supremo'
Before he retired back in 1998 and moved to Baguio City, he taught art in the Ateneo Grade School from 1962 to 1992, a total of thirty years.
On the side, he would illustrate for National Bookstore's children's books. He also collaborated with author Virginia Bonifacio and illustrated the "Bilin Ng Ating Magulang" series.
Bedette shared that he became a teacher because he wanted to have a stable income to support all his eight children. It was when he retired from teaching that he could finally live his dream of focusing on his art.
Even with his health was deteriorating in the latter years of his life, Ben-Hur refused to stop making art. According to Bedette, her father would always say giving up art would weaken him.
Aside from the actual oxygen tank beside his father, his daughter said, his father always considered his art and his beloved wife to be the air he needed to breathe in to stay alive.
Ben-Hur is survived by his wife, Lolit, and his eight children who almost all are pursuing careers in different fields of art such as sculpting, painting, photography, and animation.
His artworks are on display for the public at the Arko ni Apo Art Gallery in Baguio.
Ben-Hur's remains are currently at Avelino "Boy" Santiago Memorial Homes in San Mateo, Rizal. The interment will be on Saturday, February 1. — LA, GMA News
