Benedicto Cabrera Sold at Auction Prices

Painter, b. 1942 -

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  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Jul. 25, 2026

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱40,000 - ₱52,000

    Feliza signed and dated 2006 (lower right) charcoal on paper 12” x 8 3/4” (30 cm x 22 cm) Accompanied by a certificate signed by the artist confirming the authenticity of this lot

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Jul. 25, 2026

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱60,000 - ₱78,000

    Homage To Sabel hand-signed and dated 2024 (lower right) giclee print, 3/40 26” x 21” (66 cm x 53 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Canvas.Ph confirming the authenticity of this lot

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)
    Jun. 13, 2026

    Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)

    Est: ₱1,800,000 - ₱2,340,000

    Sabel Series signed and dated 1967 (lower right) oil on wood 17" x 17" (43 cm x 43 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Finale Art File and signed by the artist confirming the authenticity of this lot PROVENANCE Finale Art File Inspired by a homeless woman the artist encountered in Bambang during his youth, Sabel would, over the decades, evolve into far more than a recurring subject. In Bencab’s hands, she became a deeply personal symbol— at once fragile and defiant, earthly and ethereal—through which the artist explored memory, longing, and the quiet dignity of the human condition. Like all great artistic muses, Sabel resists fixed meaning; she shifts constantly between woman, apparition, and metaphor. In this particular work, Bencab strips the figure of spectacle and instead embraces restraint. Gone is the dramatic sweep of fabric so often associated with the Sabel series. What remains is something more intimate and contemplative. The figure stands heavily against a muted field of dusty rose and earth tones, her body rendered with an almost weathered softness that blurs flesh into surface. Her darkened face recedes into shadow, withholding expression and inviting the viewer into a quieter, more introspective encounter. The painting’s textured surface lends the work an almost timeworn quality, as though Sabel exists not entirely in the present but somewhere between recollection and dream. There is vulnerability here, but also resilience—a humanity that feels deeply lived-in rather than idealized. (Jed Daya)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera Acrylic on Paper
    May. 03, 2026

    Benedicto Cabrera Acrylic on Paper

    Est: -

    Art Measure: 19w x 26h Frame Measure: In good condition with wear commensurate with age. From the estate collection of Alexander Goykhman. Benedicto Cabrera Acrylic on Paper, a compelling figurative composition that pairs psychological tension with strong modernist design, bringing together a standing male figure and a child beneath an umbrella against a restrained field of warm earth tones, black structure, and a sweeping red arc. The composition feels both intimate and theatrical, with Cabrera using contrast, placement, and expression to create a work that is as emotionally charged as it is visually sophisticated. The muted palette is sharpened by the artist’s confident handling of form, giving the scene a quiet gravity that invites sustained viewing. Benedicto Cabrera is among the Philippines’ most respected contemporary artists, celebrated for works that often explore human experience, memory, social identity, and the emotional undertones of everyday life. Long admired for his draftsmanship and command of composition, Cabrera developed an international following through paintings and works on paper that blend realism, symbolism, and modern figuration. His work is held in important collections and is recognized for its intellectual depth, expressive restraint, and lasting presence within postwar and contemporary Filipino art. Signed and dated 91 lower right. Presented under glass in a decorative frame. Benedicto "BenCab" Cabrera (born April 10, 1942) is a premier Filipino painter and printmaker, widely hailed as a master of contemporary Philippine art. Named a National Artist for Visual Arts in 2006, he is best known for his iconic "Sabel" series, featuring a scavenger woman that symbolizes themes of social dislocation and despair.

    Monarch Auction and Estate Services
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)
    Apr. 18, 2026

    Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)

    Est: ₱45,000 - ₱58,500

    The Incident (giclee) hand-signed (lower right) print on hahnemule william turner paper edition 4/25 17” x 11 1/2” (43 cm x 29 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)
    Apr. 18, 2026

    Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)

    Est: ₱35,000 - ₱45,500

    Edsa Event hand-signed and dated 1986 (lower right) etching 22/25 12 3/4” x 9 1/2” (32 cm x 24 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)
    Feb. 14, 2026

    Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)

    Est: ₱1,000,000 - ₱1,300,000

    Family signed and dated 1989 (lower left) acrylic on handmade paper 24" x 18" (61 cm x 46 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Finale Art File confirming the authenticity of this lot PROVENANCE Finale Art File Benedicto Cabrera, most known by his moniker Bencab, is a household name in Philippine art. Alongside his outstanding artistry, his compelling subjects and themes never fail to captivate and stir one's mind and emotions. His prolific career spanned an array of media and materials, experimented with style and technique, and addressed a wide range of topics. Contextualized within the Philippine setting, his artworks revolve around his countrymen, the Filipinos. Bencab touched on themes of local culture, migration, history, urban alienation, and the daily grind of individuals, populated by revolutionaries, women and children, vagrants, migrants, and workers. While he was born in Malabon, Bencab grew up in various places, including the boisterous Tondo and Bambang districts, where he was exposed to the pitiable lives of the poverty-stricken individuals. Their lives, the artist reflected in his earlier paintings: of scavengers, derelicts, and barong barongs. His direct experiences and observations lend authenticity to his works, fostering a sense of connection and understanding in viewers. Bencab's Sabel series was a striking collection of works that emerged from his time in the aforementioned districts and became one of his most celebrated series. Sabel was a beggar he used to see in the streets of Bambang, draped in plastic and cloth, scavenging around garbage cans. Her story and image serve as a powerful symbol, prompting Bencab to make her his muse, "a structure to base my paintings on," he confided with Flores. Sabel's features are also present in his mother and child works; she became the very face of Bencab's Filipina woman. Family, dated 1989, features a mother and child, both with soulful eyes. They are both wrapped in a thick piece of fabric to shield them from the freezing streets. Despite her gaunt appearance, she gathers her courage to hold her child tightly and protectively. The artist's use of handmade paper adds a slightly rough texture to the image, further highlighting his subjects' impoverished states. The mother and child have been a popular and permanent fixture in every Filipino artist's oeuvre, symbolizing our deep and unswerving familial values. Bencab's works on this theme, regardless of style or material used, reflect the depressing realities of poor and marginalized people while also evoking the intimate, personal relationships within families despite their distressing circumstances. (Jessica Magno)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Jan. 31, 2026

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱170,000 - ₱221,000

    Torso #2 signed dated 2013 cast bronze H: 10” (25 cm) L: 4” (10 cm) W: 5” (13 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by The Crucible Gallery confirming the authenticity of this lot

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Jan. 31, 2026

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱20,000 - ₱26,000

    PROPERTY OF A DISTINGUISHED LADY Heroes of the Past hand-signed and dated 1974 (lower right) etching, 4/20 10” x 8” (25 cm x 20 cm) Exhibited: The Luz Gallery, Larawan II: The Filipino Abroad at The Luz Gallery, 1974

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Jan. 31, 2026

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱20,000 - ₱26,000

    PROPERTY OF A DISTINGUISHED LADY Women Waiting hand-signed and dated 1974 (lower right) Inscribed 4/20 (lower left) and ‘Women Waiting’ (lower center) etching with aquatint 10” x 8” (25 cm x 20 cm) If Heroes of the Past represents the active, confrontational energy of the Philippine revolution, Women Waiting captures its silent, enduring counterpart. Also executed in London in 1974, this rare etching, from a limited edition of 20, offers a poignant counter-narrative to the battlefield. Here, BenCab turns his lens to the “home front,” assembling a tableau of Filipinas in traditional colonial garb—baro’t saya, pañuelo, and checkered tapis. The composition is masterfully static; the women are frozen in a state of suspended animation, their expressions varying from stoic resignation to quiet anxiety. The title itself, Women Waiting, imbues the work with a heavy narrative tension. It begs the question: What are they waiting for? The return of a husband from the war against the Americans? The news of a son’s fate? Or perhaps, in the context of the Martial Law era in which it was created, a waiting for the restoration of civil liberties? BenCab’s technical prowess is on full display in the rendering of the garments. The intricate patterns of the embroidery and the stiffness of the starched fabrics are etched with delicate precision, contrasting sharply against the suffocating, pitch-black background created by the aquatint process. This darkness does not merely represent shadow; it acts as a void, isolating the figures in a timeless, purgatorial space. Unlike the “Sabel” figure, who represents kinetic energy and madness, the Larawan women are defined by their composure. They are the anchors of history—the keepers of memory who bear the weight of uncertainty with grace. This work is a crucial piece of his landmark and outstanding Larawan puzzle, illustrating that BenCab’s historical reclamation was not just about the heroes who fought, but also about the women who endured.

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Jan. 31, 2026

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱30,000 - ₱39,000

    a.) Untitled hand-signed and dated 1986 (lower right) etching A/P 5 1/4” x 4” (13 cm x 10 cm) b.) Untitled hand-signed and dated 1992 (lower right) etching 31/45 4 3/4” x 3 1/2” (12 cm x 9 cm) c.) Untitled hand-signed and dated 1989 (lower right) etching 18/35 6” x 4 3/4” (15 cm x 12 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Dec. 06, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱280,000 - ₱364,000

    Young Farmgirl signed and dated 2011 (lower right) acrylic and ink on paper 22" x 15" (56 cm x 38 cm) Accompanied by a certificate signed by the artist confirming the authenticity of this lot LITERATURE BenCab: Life Drawings. Published to accompany the exhibition of the same title at Bluewater Gallery in 2011. Full-color illustration and painting description on page 7. EXHIBITED Bluewater Gallery, BenCab: Life Drawings, Cebu, 1 May - 12 June 2011   An artist exceptionally attuned to the human condition and the Filipino spirit, Bencab’s Young Farmgirl, even in its simplicity, is a testament to the artist’s innate understanding of his fellow countrymen. This work was first created and exhibited in 2011 alongside several other sketches that portray the simple Filipino life, a manifestation of the artist’s deeply seated Filipino values. (Hannah Valiente)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)
    Dec. 06, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)

    Est: ₱1,700,000 - ₱2,210,000

    PROPERTY OF A DISTINGUISHED LADY Fishing Village in Sasmuan signed and dated 1964 (lower left) oil on canvas 24" x 36 1/2" (61 cm x 93 cm) PROVENANCE Acquired in the 1960s from an A. Mabini Street gallery in Ermita, Manila

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)
    Oct. 25, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)

    Est: ₱70,000 - ₱91,000

    Untitled signed and dated 2011 (lower right) pastel on paper 25 1/2” x 19 1/2” (65 cm x 50 cm) Exhibited: Bluewater Gallery, Bencab: Life Drawings, Cebu, 16 May - 12 June 2011

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)
    Oct. 25, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)

    Est: ₱45,000 - ₱58,500

    Nude signed and dated 1978 (lower right) mixed media on paper 11 1/2” x 16 1/4” (29 cm x 41 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)
    Oct. 25, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)

    Est: ₱45,000 - ₱58,500

    Nude signed and dated 1982 (lower right) mixed media on paper 15” x 13” (38 cm x 33 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)
    Oct. 25, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)

    Est: ₱30,000 - ₱39,000

    Mother and Child signed and dated 1990 (lower right) pastel on paper 14 1/2” x 10 1/2” (37 cm x 27 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)
    Oct. 25, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)

    Est: ₱15,000 - ₱19,500

    Nude signed and dated 1971 (lower right) graphite and colored pencil on paper 14 3/4” x 11” (37 cm x 28 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)
    Oct. 25, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)

    Est: ₱20,000 - ₱26,000

    Mag-Ina signed (lower right) ink on paper 13” x 6 3/4” (33 cm x 17 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)
    Oct. 25, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)

    Est: ₱15,000 - ₱19,500

    Untitled hand-signed and dated 1989 (lower right) etching A/P 6” x 4 1/2” (15 cm x 11 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)
    Oct. 25, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)

    Est: ₱15,000 - ₱19,500

    a.) Mother and Child hand-signed and dated 1994 (lower right) etching 7” x 5” (18 cm x 13 cm) b.) Untitled hand-signed and dated 1974 (lower right) etching 10/50 4” x 2 1/2” (10 cm x 6 cm) c.) Untitled hand-signed and dated 1986 (lower right) etching 4 1/2” x 5 1/2” (11 cm x 14 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Sep. 13, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱2,000,000 - ₱2,600,000

    A Younger Poet in Exile signed and dated 1978 (lower right) acrylic on paper 26” x 20” (66 cm x 50 cm)   PROVENANCE León Gallery, The Kingly Treasures Auction 2020, Makati City, 28 November 2020, Lot 52 LITERATURE Larawan II: The Filipino Abroad (Recent Works by Bencab). Published on the occasion of the exhibition of the same title at the Luz Gallery in August 1978. Manila: The Luz Gallery, 1978. Black-and-white illustration on page 22. EXHIBITED The Luz Gallery, Larawan II: The Filipino Abroad (Recent Works by Bencab), Manila, 6 - 31 August 1978   In 1978, Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera held his show titled Larawan II: The Filipino Abroad at the Luz Gallery, an off-shoot of his first Larawan exhibition. His Larawan series, a set of sepia-toned acrylics based on colonial iconography, are inspired by rare Filipiniana prints and photographs in London’s antiquarian bookshops. Out of these images, BenCab was able to visually conceptualize the relationship of issues of the past with present concerns in society. Exhibited paintings in Larawan II are like visual diary entries, drawn from BenCab’s explorations on themes related to cultural alienation and spiritual distancing experienced by Filipino migrants, expatriates, and exiles. It is also noted that the watercolor, gouache, and collage paintings and prints are more colorful than his previous Larawan works. This 1978 work features poet-critic Perfecto “Jun” Terra, a Pangasinan-born writer and literary editor who is based in Europe. Born in 1944, Terra was an AB English major at the University of the Philippines and is widely published for his literary works and literary criticism essays. In the twin-volume BenCab: Filipino Artist authored by him, critic Patrick Flores also noted Terra as one of the poetcritics, along Ricaredo Demetillo, who influenced Bencab’s formalist renderings in his exceptional art.

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)
    Jul. 26, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)

    Est: ₱150,000 - ₱195,000

    PROPERTY FROM THE HAYDEN AND VICKI BELO-KHO COLLECTION Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942) Gaze 2017 resin H: 27” (69 cm) L: 17” (43 cm) W: 15” (38 cm) each provenance: Secret Fresh

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Jul. 26, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱170,000 - ₱221,000

    Nude signed bronze 7 1/2” x 9 1/4” x 6 1/2” (19 cm x 23 cm x 17 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Jul. 26, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱35,000 - ₱45,500

    Untitled hand-signed (lower left) archival print 15/20 12” x 9 3/4” (30 cm x 25 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Jun. 07, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱800,000 - ₱1,040,000

    Karl Roy of P.O.T. signed and dated 1995 (lower right) pastel on paper 32" x 22" (81 cm x 56 cm)   LITERATURE Caruncho, Eric S. Bencab's Rock Sessions. Published in conjunction with Bencab's exhibition of the same title at the Crucible Gallery in 1995. Pasig City: The Crucible Workshop, 1995. Full-color illustration. EXHIBITED The Crucible Gallery, Bencab's Rock Sessions, Mandaluyong City, 7 - 21 November 1995   By the time Bencab created this sketch of Karl Roy, it had been only about a year since the creation of his rock band P.O.T., but their rise was already undeniable. As their lead vocalist, Karl was at the forefront of their fame, an icon of Pinoy rock that garnered a crowd of fans who screamed his name every performance. In this illustration, Karl shows off his iconic tattoos that spread over his shoulders, still distinctly empty in comparison to the sprawl that would cover the rest of his body over the years. A rockstar in the quietude, Bencab’s portrayal of Karl is a rare glimpse into the musician’s inner life, who, despite his rocker lifestyle, strived to find time for solitude and introspection. (Hannah Valiente)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    May. 03, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱50,000 - ₱65,000

    Torso # 13 signed and dated 2013 cast bronze 10” x 4” x 5” (25 cm x 10 cm x 13 cm)   Accompanied by a certificate issued by the Crucible Gallery confirming the authenticity of this lot

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    May. 03, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱70,000 - ₱91,000

    Untitled signed and dated 2000 (lower right) pastel on paper 17 1/2” x 12 1/2” (44 cm x 32 cm)   National Artist Bencab’s multifaceted talent shines through his sketches. Though renowned for his incredible paintings that touch upon Philippine culture and tradition, his portraitures show a side of him that is not often highlighted, mainly his handle on realism. He veers quite often into expressionistic styles and thus, his charcoal or pastel works bear the stamp of his talent in realistic sketches. (Hannah Valiente)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)
    May. 03, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)

    Est: ₱35,000 - ₱45,500

    Untitled handsigned and dated 2015 (lower right) archival print 13/25 image size: 11” x 8 1/2” (28 cm x 22 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Jan. 25, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱50,000 - ₱65,000

    Untitled signed and dated 1992 (lower right) pastel on paper 12 1/2" x 18 3/4" (32 cm x 48 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Jan. 25, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱25,000 - ₱32,500

    Untitled hand-signed and dated 2018 (lower right) print 19/22 10 1/4" x 16" (26 cm x 41 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)
    Jan. 25, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b.1942)

    Est: ₱100,000 - ₱130,000

    Untitled handsigned and dated 2014 (lower right) print 14/25 29” x 17” (74 cm x 43 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Jan. 25, 2025

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱15,000 - ₱19,500

    Summer of '96 hand-signed and dated 1974 (lower right) etching A/P 10" x 8" (25 cm x 20 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942) - Sabel
    Nov. 30, 2024

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942) - Sabel

    Est: ₱14,000,000 - ₱18,200,000

    Sabel signed and dated 2006 (lower right) acrylic on canvas 48" x 36" (122 cm x 91 cm) Throughout Bencab's six decades of prolific art practice, Sabel has seen constant iterations and reinventions: from the social realist-inspired and lyrical expressionist scavenger, who became the modern day Sisa when Bencab debuted the subject in his debut solo exhibition at the Gallery Indigo in 1966; to the geometric minimalist version and the abstract expressionist form; and finally, to the elegantly draped woman of the 21st century. Through this woman—who, for Bencab's part, perfectly echoed and embodied the words of the French art critic and poet Charles Baudelaire, "Once an artist has found his ideal subject, his work is halfway done"—the venerable artist found a constant companion to his brush and canvas, one that Bencab had successfully molded into different art currents all the while without losing the subject's essence. In Sabel, Bencab discovered that it was her cape-like sheets covering her body that invigorated the figure itself. The plastic sheets of the scavenger Sabel, which would eventually transform into the drapery mimicking the art of dance, serve as the foundation for whatever style Sabel was cast into. It was through Sabel that Bencab finally integrated his equal fascinations with the drapery, movement, and forms. When Bencab was bestowed the most honorable title of "National Artist for the Visual Arts" in 2006, the citation of his proclamation writes, "Bencab's exploration of form [has found] his way out of the late neo-realism and high abstraction of the sixties to be able to reconsider the potency of figurative expression…." Indeed, Sabel became the anchor to which Bencab wedded his excellent draftsmanship of the human figure and his constant search for a personal creative idiom. In turn, the "Sabel" of the 21st century, perhaps the most famous and coveted of all his "Sabels," gave Bencab his distinct and identifying mark, his most recognizable work and style. From the plastic sheets and ragamuffin clothes of the earlier Sabels, the quintessential muse was endowed with the classic elegance of the drapery, conferring unto her the gracefulness of dancing In this 2006 iteration of Sabel, which Bencab painted two months before he would be proclaimed National Artist, there still exist hints of the plastic sheets that once covered the woman as the artist saw it in the early 1960s in the vicinity of Bambang in Tondo, Manila. However, Bencab's gestural refinement, akin to an abstract expressionist's lyrical dexterity, enriches a layer of buoyant passion. Here, Sabel, the scavenger, is nowhere to be found. Instead, she is a woman of undying charm and beauty, further indicating Bencab's pride in his art, a sense of achievement and wellbeing. The Sabel in this work, gifted with the animating and dramatic expressiveness of the drapery, very much evokes Isadora Duncan, the American dancer and choreographer revered as "The Mother of Modern Dance" and whom Bencab explored in his art starting in the late 1990s. In the same vein as Duncan, the work at hand captures the swirls and billows of the pioneering dancer's dress, which is achieved through her spirited dance moves. Bencab emulates this through his brisk strokes. Bencab once said in an interview with Cid Reyes in April 1978 that he became "fascinated" with the image of Sabel as "she made a terrific image visually." "I thought she made a terrific subject matter for my paintings," Bencab remarked. "She used to gather these plastic sheets and wrap them around her body. They made the most beautiful abstract shapes." And so, Sabel embodied Bencab's never-ending delight in the harmonious wedding of the figure and the drapery. Although Sabel died in 1972, she remains Bencab's consummate exploration of his fascination for the centuries old art of the drapery and how it endows immortality to one's ephemerality through a sweeping vision of motion and energy. And since the plastic sheets that once covered Sabel's body have been transformed into a life-inducing and life animating element that is the drapery, Sabel would live on forever as Bencab's perennial muse

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942) - Hunter's Pasiking
    Nov. 30, 2024

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942) - Hunter's Pasiking

    Est: ₱2,400,000 - ₱3,120,000

    Hunter's Pasiking signed and dated 1999 (lower right) acrylic on canvas 24" x 18" (61 cm x 46 cm) PROVENANCE: Boston Gallery The colonial past is something National Artist Benedicto Cabrera contends within his oeuvre. Through his various portraitures of katipuneros, Philippine heroes, and indios in their baro’t saya at camisa de chino, Bencab revisits images of the past with a contemporary eye, reliving that racial trauma with decades and centuries separating the artist from the events depicted. With this 1999 Hunter’s Pasiking, Bencab turns to the preHispanic image of the indigenous people of the Cordilleras. Portraying the Indigenous man by his back, his pasiking – or the basket-backpack common in the tribes of Northern Luzon – takes center stage. He faces away from the audience, his face looking forward to a future that brings a series of events that assimilate the Indigenous people into the mainstream national community all the while stripping them of their native identity. “I wanted to show how the whole process of colonization changed the Filipino,” Bencab said in a 1978 interview with Cid Reyes. Indeed, here in Hunter’s Pasiking, the Indigenous take their first step towards assimilation, a process that “probably benefited” them but also confined them in the “superficial trappings of Western culture.” (Hannah Valiente)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942) - a.) Sabel I b.) Sabel II c.) Sabel III
    Nov. 30, 2024

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942) - a.) Sabel I b.) Sabel II c.) Sabel III

    Est: ₱1,000,000 - ₱1,300,000

    a.) Sabel I signed and dated 1970 (lower right) mixed media 10" x 9 1/4" (25 cm x 23 cm) b.) Sabel II signed and dated 1970 (lower right) mixed media 9 1/4" x 10" (23 cm x 25 cm) c.) Sabel III signed and dated 1970 (lower right) mixed media 10" x 9 1/4" (10 cm x 23 cm)   PROVENANCE Private collection, Manila   A Trio of 'Sabels' Bencab's Multiples in Motion Movement was a central tenet of Benedicto Cabrera’s works. From his Sabel series to his multiple depictions of Isadora and her dancing, motion and movement has captivated Bencab and manifested itself in draperies and women posed mid-twirl. This series of mixed media pieces, all done in 1970, portrays this fascination for movement and motion perfectly. Created in the same year as his conferment of the coveted Thirteen Artists Award, this lot is a perfect representation of Bencab’s attunement to motion with these three pieces encapsulating this through his solid-colored platters amidst plain colorful background. There is a sense of drama with the curves and swerves, a magnificent place of a dance that has always been an interest for Bencab. There is a method to his madness, a logic to his splatters. The artist’s reverence for the human figure still retains, even if it is through abstract shapes. “Subjugating his natural talent for human figuration, Bencab opted to depict amorphous bodies and probe into the urgency of their emotional states,” writes Krip Yuson in Bencab’s monograph. (Hannah Valiente)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Oct. 26, 2024

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱80,000 - ₱104,000

    Man Resting signed and dated 2002 (lower left) charcoal and pastel on paper 24 1/2" x 17 1/2" (62 cm x 44 cm) *THIS LOT IS SOLD TO BENEFIT THE PROGRAMS OF THE MALABON ZOO

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Oct. 26, 2024

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱15,000 - ₱19,500

    Untitled hand-signed and dated 2015 (lower right) A/P lithograph 7 1/2" x 10 1/2" (19 cm x 27 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Oct. 26, 2024

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱15,000 - ₱19,500

    Untitled hand-signed and dated 2016 (lower right) lithograph 8/30 10" x 7 1/2" (25 cm x 19 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Oct. 26, 2024

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱15,000 - ₱19,500

    Untitled hand-signed and dated 2015 (lower right) lithograph 21/28 paper size: 10" x 9" (25 cm x 23 cm) image size: 8 1/4" x 6" (21 cm x 15 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Oct. 26, 2024

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱15,000 - ₱19,500

    Mother and Child hand-signed and dated 2006 (lower right) print 66/80 7 1/4" x 5 3/4" (18 cm x 15 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942) - I No Longer Worry
    Sep. 14, 2024

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942) - I No Longer Worry

    Est: ₱10,000,000 - ₱13,000,000

    I No Longer Worry signed and dated 2005 (lower right) acrylic on canvas 48” x 24” (122 cm x 61 cm) LITERATURE Flores, Patrick D. and Cid P. Reyes. BenCab: Filipino Artist. Tuba, Benguet: BenCab Art Foundation Inc., 2019. Featured on the book’s cover, full-color illustration. WRITE UP In October 1972, Benedicto Cabrera staged his landmark homecoming exhibition at The Luz Gallery after an almost four-year diaspora in London. Titled Larawan: 1972 Paintings by Bencab, the exhibition not only marked the artist’s maturation after the critical acceptance of his Sabel paintings of the 1960s but, more so, solidified Bencab as a critical painter of his times. Bencab was young, but he was also bold, brash, and keenly aware of his Filipino identity and sensibility, which he understood best through the lens of the colonial past. Through his Larawan paintings, the eminent art critic Alice Guillermo christened Bencab as a forerunner of Philippine social realism. The 1972 suite of Larawan paintings would be followed by a sustained pursuit of depicting the Filipino in different periods of their history: the Larawan II of the late 1970s depicting the Filipino in diaspora and the Larawan III of the late 1990s that coincided with the centennial of Philippine independence and focused on the wardrobes of the late 19th century, much like the tipos del pais fostered by the likes of Spanish colonial era painters Damian Domingo, Jose Honorato Lozano, Justiniano Asuncion, and Felix Martinez. Fast forward to the 2000s, Bencab has already become synonymous with his Larawan series. He has found a way to relate many of his current Larawan works to the earlier ones, a continuing endeavor of mirroring the present with the colonial past. I No Longer Worry is one of Bencab’s major works throughout his nearly six-decade artistic career. It was even chosen to become the cover of BenCab: Filipino Artist, Volume 1 of the artist’s twin-volume book published in 2019 in celebration of his “Fifty Creative Years.” In this work, an ordinary indio dons a camisa de chino, a European-style hat, and pants (salawal) rolled up to just below the knees, indicating that he is in the act of toiling. His face and body language both exude radiance, comfort, and satisfaction. I No Longer Worry can be best appreciated when compared with a thematically similar work from Bencab’s first Larawan Series. The 1972 acrylic on paper work titled Ang Tao (now in the Cultural Center of the Philippines Collection) depicts an old man donning the same outfit, albeit he is wearied. His overall expression poignantly evokes suffering and dispiritedness, with him holding his hat on his side emphasizing a sign of resignation—a wrenching acceptance by a people subjugated under colonial oppression. Both Ang Tao and I No Longer Worry are in vertical orientation, emphasizing the subjects’ stature and nurturing a deep reflection of our complex history and relationship with our Filipino identity. Three decades later, in the picture of I No Longer Worry, the man has been restored to the glory of an exuberant youthfulness. Taking cues from the work’s title, I No Longer Worry sees Bencab fostering the notion of accepting our collective identity as being shaped by our colonial history and reclaiming what is genuinely ours, a continuing struggle and assertion of our uncompromising identity as lovers and stalwarts of freedom. In Ang Tao, the subject still grapples with his identity as an inhabitant of Las Islas Filipinas, hence the generic term “tao” (person). But in I No Longer Worry, the indio has now grasped that complex yet profound sense of his identity that is rooted in colonial subjugation, watered by the ideals of nationalism and the national revolution against a common oppressor, and nourished by a continuing declaration of no longer capitulating to foreign hegemony. The modern Filipino is a product of centuries of colonial rule, a power whose vestiges and influences still resound in modern times. And it is these palpable influences where I No Longer Worry situates itself—the Filipino masses are no longer worried about navigating a sense of shared identity to pursue a shared struggle towards a shared cause for a genuine expression of liberty and self-determination. I No Longer Worry enkindles a continuing reclamation of our Filipino identity to shape future generations of Filipinos who no longer worry on resigning to one’s fate as a subservient servant to imperial power. In 2006, Bencab was proclaimed National Artist for the Visual Arts. (Adrian Maranan)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Jul. 27, 2024

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱25,000 - ₱32,500

    Holy Family signed and dated 2005 (right) glass etching #923 11" x 8" x 3 1/2" (28 cm x 20 cm x 9 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by ICA Alumnae Association confirming the authenticity of this lot

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Jul. 27, 2024

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱1,500,000 - ₱1,950,000

    PROPERTY FROM THE DON EUGENIO “GENY” LOPEZ JR. COLLECTION Body & Drapery signed and dated 2006 (lower right) acrylic on canvas 24" x 18" (61 cm x 46 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Jul. 27, 2024

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱220,000 - ₱286,000

    PROPERTY FROM THE DON EUGENIO “GENY” LOPEZ JR. COLLECTION Nude signed and dated 2002 (lower right) pastel on paper 22" x 33" (56 cm x 84 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Jul. 27, 2024

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱50,000 - ₱65,000

    Nude signed and dated 2007 (lower right) pastel on paper 15" x 23" (38 cm x 58 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Jul. 27, 2024

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱50,000 - ₱65,000

    Portrait signed and dated 2007 (lower right) pastel on paper 16" x 14" (41 cm x 36 cm)

    Leon Gallery
  • Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)
    Jul. 27, 2024

    Benedicto Cabrera (b. 1942)

    Est: ₱20,000 - ₱26,000

    Untitled handsigned and dated 2020 (lower right) print A/P 10 1/2" x 7 1/2" (27 cm x 19 cm)

    Leon Gallery
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