Philippine

National Artists
for
Sculpture













Napoleon V. Abueva
Sculpture (1976)

At 46 then, Napoleon V. Abueva, a native of Bohol, was the youngest National Artist
awardee. Considered as the Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture, Abueva has helped shape the
local sculpture scene to what it is now. Being adept in either academic representational style or
modern abstract, he has utilized almost all kinds of materials from hard wood (molave, acacia,
langka wood, ipil, kamagong, palm wood and bamboo) to adobe, metal, stainless steel, cement,
marble, bronze, iron, alabaster, coral and brass. Among the early innovations Abueva introduced
in 1951 was what he referred to as "buoyant sculpture" -- sculpture meant to be appreciated from
the surface of a placid pool. In the 80's, Abueva put up a one-man show at the Philippine Center,
New York. His works have been installed in different museums here and abroad, such as The
Sculpture at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
Some of his major works include Kaganapan (1953), Kiss of Judas (1955), Thirty Pieces
of Silver, The Transfiguration (1979)-Eternal Garden Memorial Park, UP Gateway (1967), Nine
Muses (1994), UP Faculty Center, Sunburst (1994)-Peninsula Manila Hotel, the bronze figure of
Teodoro M. Kalaw in front of National Library, and murals in marble at the National Heroes
Shrine, Mt. Samat, Bataan.

Arturo R. Luz
Visual Arts (1997)

Arturo R. Luz, painter, sculptor, and designer for more than 40 years, created
masterpieces that exemplify an ideal of sublime austerity in expression and form. From the
Carnival series of the late 1950s to the recent Cyclist paintings, Luz produced works that
elevated Filipino aesthetic vision to new heights of sophisticated simplicity. By establishing the
Luz Gallery that professionalized the art gallery as an institution and set a prestigious influence
over generations of Filipino artists, Luz inspired and developed a Filipino artistic community that
nurtures impeccable designs.

Among his other significant paintings are Bagong Taon, Vendador de Flores, Skipping
Rope, Candle Vendors, Procession, Self-Portrait, Night Glows, Grand Finale, Cities of the Past,
Imaginary Landscapes. His mural painting Black and White is displayed in the lobby of the
CCP's Bulwagang Carlos V. Francisco (Little Theater). His sculpture of a stainless steel cube is
located in front of the Benguet Mining Corporation Building in Pasig.



Abdulmari Asia Imao
Sculpture (2006)

Abdulmari Asia Imao, a native of Sulu, is a sculptor, painter, photographer, ceramist,
documentary film maker, cultural researcher, writer, and articulator of Philippine Muslim art and
culture. Through his works, the indigenous ukkil, sarimanok and naga motifs have been
popularized and instilled in the consciousness of the Filipino nation and other peoples as original
Filipino creations.
His U.P. art education introduced him to Filipino masters like Guillermo Tolentino and
Napoleon Abueva, who were among his mentors. With his large-scale sculptures and monuments
of Muslim and regional heroes and leaders gracing selected sites from Batanes to Tawi-tawi,
Imao has helped develop among cultural groups trust and confidence necessary for the building
of a more just and humane society.

Selected works:
Industry Brass Mural, Philippine National Bank, San Fernando, La Union
Mural Relief on Filmmaking, Manila City Hall
Industrial Mural, Central Bank of the Philippines, San Fernando, La Union
Sulu Warriors (statues of Panglima Unaid and Captain Abdurahim Imao), 6 ft., Sulu Provincial
Capitol

Guillermo Estrella Tolentino
Sculpture (1973)

Guillermo Estrella Tolentino is a product of the Revival period in Philippine art.
Returning from Europe (where he was enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Rome) in
1925, he was appointed as professor at the UP School of Fine Arts where the idea also of
executing a monument for national heroes struck him. The result was the UP Oblation that
became the symbol of freedom at the campus. Acknowledged as his masterpiece and completed
in 1933, The Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan stands as an enduring symbol of the Filipinos'
cry for freedom.
Other works include the bronze figures of President Quezon at Quezon Memorial, life-
size busts of Jose Rizal at UP and UE, marble statue of Ramon Magsaysay in GSIS Building;
granolithics of heroic statues representing education, medicine, forestry, veterinary science, fine
arts and music at UP.
He also designed the gold and bronze medals for the Ramon Magsaysay Award and did
the seal of the Republic of the Philippines.



Ramon Orlina
Sculpture

Ramon Orlina was born in Manila, Philippines. After completing his architectural degree
at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, he practiced architecture until 1974. He then began
his career in art painting, eventually turning to sculpture. Drawing from his experience as an
architect, Orlina chose to create sculptures from glass which he felt at that time had most
potential in expressing his visual imagery. Exploring forms though glass cullets or crystal blocks,
the artist continue to exploit their translucent quality and smooth finish produced from months of
reshaping and grinding.
His abstract sculptures are composed of a series of angles through creating sharp edges or
sleek bends that denote movement and fluid lines. By playfully manipulating varying qualities of
light entering and trapped at different angles, his sculptures are never static masses. They are not
only 3-dimensional, sculpture-in-the-round objects, but multi-dimensinal constructions with no
front or back orientation. One can view his pieces from any point of view and interpret them
beyond the artist's intended form.
In this sense, Orlina's achievement is in freeing the viewers to see his sculptures in any
way they choose. He also frosts sections of the surfaces with figurative motifs by etching directly
onto the glass while leaving most parts of it polished and smooth. The illusions created through
the various prisms intensify the viewers imagination.
A multi-awarded glass sculptor, Orlinas reputation extends to art circles and patrons in
Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, U.S.A. and the former Czechoslovakia. He has
represented the Philippines in the XVII Grand Prix Internationale D' Arte Contemporaine de
Monte Carlo in 1977; the Bienale Internationale de Arte, Valparaiso, Chile in 1987; the Suntory
Prize Exhibition, Japan in 1994; the Toyamura International Sculpture Biennale, Japan in 1995 ,
the 9th Asian International Art Exhibition, Taipei, 1994; the Osaka Sculpture Triennale, Japan in
1992 and 1995. The artist has been commissioned for public art sculptures and has exhibited
extensively.
In his more than 25 years as a sculptor, Ramon Orlina has consistently shown excellence,
originality and daring as a sculptor.