Leon Gallery, again, is privileged to be the venue for the art of Alfonso Ossorio, Filipino-American artist known internationally and said to be the best to emerge in mid-century. Although Ossorio grew up and was educated in England and the United States, his family was nonetheless well-ensconced in Philippine business circles. His father, Don Miguel Ossorio founded Victorias Milling Corporation, which, at that time, was the most modern sugar refinery in the Philippines. His mother, Maria Paz Yangco, hailed from the family whose successful shipping company was known as the “ King of the Pasig.”
One of Ossorio’s close relatives, Teodoro Yangco, set up Yangco Market in Divisoria.
He, himself, was among the first artists from the school of abstract expressionism, a modern art movement that started in New York, and is said to have unseated Paris as the capital of modern art then. His colleagues included Jackson Pollock (the most famous), Clifford Stills, Mark Rothko, and Willhelm de Kooning, among others.
Surprisingly, little is known of Ossorio here in the Philippines until recently, despite the fact that his biggest work is permanently displayed as the sanctuary centerpiece at St. Joseph the Worker Church in Victorias, Negros Occidental, right in the middle of the sugar mill compound.
From April 21 to May 12, 19 of Alfonso Ossorio’s works will be on exhibit, with representative works from 1942 to 1989. From his early drawings of impeccable draughtsmanship to his wildly colorful “congregations,” Ossorio’s work is a study of meticulously applied scholarship rendered in well-researched material.
Alfonso Ossorio: Grazing Light attempts to re-examine, in exhibition, his process in his art and life in this exciting and intriguing collection from the Frederic Ossorio Family Collection.
The exhibit will be at Leon Gallery, ground floor Corinthian Plaza, Paseo de Roxas corner Gamboa St., Salcedo Village, Makati from April 21 to May 12.
Gallery hours are from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with curatorial guided tours by appointment only.