Leon Gallery raises auction art to new level

MANY HAPPY RETURNS, JOYCE! Joyce Pilarsky, who is celebrating her birthday today, received the Golden Phoenix Award for Cultural Achievement last Saturday, September 3, at the J Marriott Hotel in Putrajaya, Malaysia. This is her second Golden Phoenix Award; the first was for Benevolence Achievement in 2014. Joyce will have a one-of-a-kind belated birthday celebration on September 18.

QUOTE, UNQUOTE. Pamilya Ordinaryo lead actor Ronwaldo Martin talks about the support he is getting from older brother Coco Martin: “Tuwang-tuwa po kasi first international film festival ko po itong napuntahan sa Venice pa. Malaking pasalamat ko po kay Kuya Coco kasi sinuportahan niya ang biyahe ko mula sa pag-apply ng visa hanggang sa pagpahatid sa akin sa airport. Lagi po niya akong pina-follow up sa pag-send ng message at pagtawag sa Viber. Masayang-masaya po siya sa mga nangyayari sa akin dahil naalala raw niya nung nagsimula pa siya sa indie kasi po ang unang festival niya ay sa Locarno naman.”

NICK JOAQUIN SMELLS ADOBO AND LECHON. In Two Navels, introducing the country’s very first “curated auction,” curator Ramon Villegas (with Liza Guerrero Nakpil) writes about National Artist Nick Joaquin’s classic novel, The Woman Who Had Two Navels, that inspired its concept in the Facebook page of Leon Gallery.
“In the 1930s, when (Nick Joaquin) started writing, he was already a writer apart. At a time when the United States was viewed as ‘the very measure of all goodness’ and ‘history’ and ‘civilization’ in the Philippines seemed to have begun with the advent of America, Joaquín invoked a deeper past. At a time when to be contemporary was to be ‘secular,’ Joaquín evoked the country’s Christian tradition. At a time when ‘proletarian literature’ was the ‘correct’ line for young writers to follow, Joaquín was the skeptic who felt it was one more instance of local literary hierarchs’ ‘parroting the Americans, among whom ‘proletarian’ was then the latest buzzword.’ He saw himself swimming against the current, going against the grain.
“When criticized for writing in English, his reply was trenchant: ‘Whether it is in Tagalog or English, because I am Filipino, every single line I write is in Filipino.’ The local milieu was irrevocably present in his works, he insisted: ‘They (can) smell adobo and lechón when they read me. I was smelling adobo and lechón when I wrote me.’
“In 1955, Joaquín left the country on a Rockefeller Foundation creative writing fellowship. He went to Spain, the United States, and Mexico. In this sojourn, which lasted more than two years, he worked on a short and early version of what was to be published as his first novel, The Woman Who Had Two Navels (1961).
“Philippine society was going through a period of deepening social crisis. The high hopes engendered during the popular rule of Ramón Magsaysay began to dissipate after Magsaysay’s death in 1957, as corruption, factional politics and economic crisis buffeted each administration. The Vietnam War politicized the Filipino intelligentsia, the economy floundered, a new Communist Party was soon to be established, and a new wave of militant nationalism swept the academe and the media.
“The novel is a many-layered work that seeks out truth from falsehood, illusion from reality, the past from present, in the context of the Filipino search for identity.
“To be a Filipino artist is to be, like the characters in Two Navels, afflicted with the problem of identity.”
While Leon Gallery is theoretically a gallery, it only does auction house business. This qualifies it as an auction house and not a gallery. A gallery had been opined as not qualified to do auction house business as it keeps an inventory of artworks susceptible to price manipulation.
With a one-of-a-kind exhibit preceding its quarterly live auctions, the addition of an online auction business and now a curated auction (The biz has not been so literary!), Leon Gallery has upped auction art to a new level.
The preview for Two Navels started on Sunday, September 4. The auction for the works will be today at the same time as the Magnificent September Auction on September 10.

9TH MAYOR ABALOS GOLF CUP TEES OFF. Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Malacanang caretaker of President Duterte during Asean Summit; media man Arnold Clavio and actor Tonton Gutierrez were the top celebrities who participated in the 9th Mayor Abalos Golf Cup at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club.
The Mandaluyong Golf Club, Inc. and SM Malls in cooperation with Wack Wack Golf & Country Club, San Miguel Corporation and DDT Konstract held the 9th Mayor Abalos Golf Cup yesterday, September 9 (Friday), 6:30 a.m. and 12 p.m., a double shotgun tee off.
Celebrities at the golf tournament included Tonton Gutierrez, Arnold Clavio, Daisy Reyes and other surprise golf players.
This tournament was held to support the advocacies and programs of Ciara Marie Foundation Inc., a charitable institution that extends health care, educational provisions to the less fortunate members of the community and assistance to displaced families due to calamities like fire. The foundation is headed by its chairperson, Councilor Charisse Marie Abalos.
Main partners are Platinum sponsors Life Oil, AMA University, Smart Communications, Mizuno and Bingo Bonanza. Gold sponsors are 3D by Northern Islands Company, DMCI Homes, Family Inada, The Address@ Wack Wack, St. Francis Square Propeties Holdings, Expedition Construction Corp., Norkis Group, Unilab, Globe Telecom, Greenfield Development Corp., Alexa Trading & Construcion, Guevent Investment Development Corp., Robinsons Land Corp., Monocrete Construction Philippines, Vista Residences, Mighty Corp., Philippine Airlines and Pagcor.
Silver sponsors are PCSO, Manuela Corp., EVWealth, Mr. HK Paik, Bingo Mania, Land Bank of the Philippines, Market Place Shopping Mall, Ayala Land, Tracsom Builders, Ferris Sobell, S&R Membership, Megawide Builders, Shang Properties, Atty. Gilberto Duavit, Hotel Sogo, Megafiber, Natures Earth, J & B Scotch Whisky and Cathay Land.
For more information, call CATANDEM Events Management at landline no. (02) 245-6592 and look for Carlito Cernal, event director.