Luna or bust: Lost historic artwork finds way home
MANILA, Philippines — When you walk into the National Museum of Fine Arts, past the metal detectors and the big wooden double doors, you enter a cavernous hall. There you behold the masterpiece for which the gallery is named, the most famous painting in the Philippines by the most famous artist in Philippine history: “Spoliarium” by Juan Luna (1857-1899). Today, “Spoliarium” — which first rose to fame as the Luna opus that won the First-Class Medal at the 1884 Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes in Madrid — has a new companion. On an adjacent pedestal is a life-size bust of the artist himself. The work, “Bust of Juan Luna y Novicio” by the Spanish artist Mariano Benlliure (1862-1947), allows visitors to marvel both at the creation on canvas and its creator in bronze. “It’s the whole Luna experience,” said Ramon A.S. Lerma, proprietor of Salcedo Auctions, which played a part in how the bust got here. On Tuesday, the bust’s owners, MIB Capital Corp., formally donated it to the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) in a turnover ceremony held at the Spoliarium Hall and witnessed by NMP boards of trustees chair Andoni Aboitiz, NMP director general Jeremy Barns and MIB chair Marilou Cristobal. Guests included first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Sen. Nancy Binay. Artist-hero a rarity “It’s very important for art history both on the artistic side and the historical side,” Barns said in an Inquirer interview, referring to Benlliure’s work. “It’s a masterpiece made by a master sculptor in Spain who knew Luna from when they were students together until it was cut by Luna’s death in 1899.” “The Philippines is one of the rare countries in the world where one of your heroes is an artist,” Lerma said. “It’s only the Philippines where, instead of the Michelangelos and the Da Vincis and the Monets, the most important artist in the mind of Filipinos is Juan Luna. And that’s because it has been ingrained in our minds that he is a person who has really helped to define the Filipino nation. His struggles, his artistry, his creativity, everything about him is so Filipino.” War survivor How the bust wound up in its latest place of honor is in itself a story of artistry, comradeship, history, serendipity and, ultimately, generosity. Luna and Benlliure were close friends; the Filipino master painted two portraits of his Spanish peer. But they were
Disclaimer : We make no assurance about the completeness and accuracy of the content of this website. All news on this website is collected from various sources hence information may or may not be true. Money Nations does not verify the reliability of the content published. We do not accept any accountability for loss or damage occurred as a result of reliability on the content of this website.