Leon Gallery to unveil online auction this month

The Leon Gallery is set to unveil its online auction this year, featuring two women collectors, as it commits to another exciting period for Philippine art. 

In a press release, the Leon Gallery said its online auction, which is in its 30th edition, has been continuously growing in success in the past few years due to the art-loving-public's continuing support and unswerving pursuit of acquiring important pieces of the country's culture and heritage. 

''As such, every iteration of the Leon Exchange Online Auction values the collectors' pleasure in discovering one's next find. Online. In this auction, the spotlight is thrust into two distinguished women collectors who have thrived in their respective fields,'' the Leon Gallery stated.

The first artist is Lorna Revilla Montilla, a revered anthropologist, art and culture writer, and artist.

"Montilla forged friendships with the most prolific artists of her time, now our most cherished ones: Vicente Manansala, Cesar Legaspi, Ang Kiukok, Malang, Eduardo Castrillo, and even the "living legends" of Philippine art, Benedicto Cabrera, Manuel Baldemor, and Ramon Orlina," the Leon Exchange catalog stated. 

"She mounted a five-man exhibition consisting of Legaspi, Kiukok, Malang, Bencab, and Gaston Damag at London's Wraxall Art Gallery in 1982,'' it added. 

The second artist is Tere Orendain, one of the country's most esteemed lifestyle and culture writers and editors.

The catalog said, "Orendain's creative strength primarily lies in writing about the arts, traveling, food, and hospitality.''

''She had rubbed elbows and shared stories, gossips, and laughter over sumptuous feasts and meals with many of society's best: Maurice Arcache, Deedee Siytangco, Ernie Evora Sioco, Thelma Sioson, Jorge Arago, Marita Manuel, and even National Artist Jose Joya."

Further, Leon Exchange 30 will also present another curated selection from the collection of Don Benito J. Legarda, Jr., as rare engravings, ephemera, prints by eminent Filipino artists Fernando Zobel and Anita Magsaysay-Ho.

It will also include hard-to-find photographs and prints of Old Manila in both peacetime and wartime.

The Leon Exchange 30th Online Auction will happen on January 20 and 21, Saturday and Sunday. Bidding proper will commence on the Leon Exchange platform at exactly 11 a.m.

To browse the Leon Exchange 30th Online Auction catalog, visit https://leon-gallery.com.
—RF, GMA Integrated News