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Untitled signed and dated 1956 (lower right) gouache on paper 13 1/4” x 7 3/4” (33 cm x 18 cm)
Leon GalleryWhite Horse hand signed (lower right) serigraph, 140/200 20 1/4” x 7 1/4” (51 cm x 18 cm)
Leon GalleryHugo Yonzon, Jr. (1924 - 1994) Sabungero signed and dated 1/1/1982 (lower right) ) oil on canvas 15 1/2” x 14 1/2” (39 cm x 37 cm
Leon GalleryHugo Yonzon, Jr. (1924 - 1994) Untitled signed and dated 1/1/1982 (lower right) oil on canvas 14 1/2” x 15 1/2” (37 cm x 39 cm)
Leon GalleryHugo Yonzon Jr. (1924 - 1994) Ancestral House signed and dated 1980 (lower right) oil on canvas 24” x 30” (61 cm x 76 cm)
Leon GalleryA Lot of Three Printsa. Hugo Yonzon Jr. (1924 - 1994) b. Vicente Manansala (1910 - 1988) c. Mauro Malang Santos (1928 - 2017) a) Fisher Folks b) Rural Scene c) Untitled a) hand signed (lower right) b) hand signed and dated 1971 (lower right) c) hand signed (lower right) a) serigraph, 172/197 b) serigraph, 48/352 c) serigraph, 79/227 a) 12” x 10” (30 cm x 25 cm) b) 11” x 10” (28 cm x 25 cm) c) 12” x 10” (30 cm x 25 cm) c) León Gallery wishes to thank West Gallery for confirming the authenticity of this lot.
Leon GalleryHugo Yonzon Jr. (1924 - 1994) Bukid signed (lower right) oil on wood 35 1/2” x 14 1/2” (90 cm x 37 cm)
Leon GalleryHugo Yonzon, Jr. (1924 - 1994) Barong-Barong signed (lower right) oil on canvas 16 1/2" x 22" (42 cm x 56 cm) PROPERTY FROM THE JOSE ZAIDE COLLECTION The image of the barong-barong is a staple in the foremost modernist Hugo Yonzon Jr.’s early works. In this particular piece from his early period, the artist captures a vignette of slum living, akin to a colorful illustration emerging from a cartoon strip (Yonzon Jr. initially worked as a cartoonist and illustrator). Albeit depicting a more modest subject, this piece is reminiscent of Yonzon Jr.’s entry to the Seventh Annual Art Association of the Philippines Exhibition in 1954 titled Harana, which won the coveted first prize. Although Yonzon Jr. does not venture into explicit narratives in this piece, one can discern the artist’s intended reactions on the viewer through his masterful weaving of disarrayed forms, creating a composition that evokes poverty and induces feelings of sympathy. Rendered in dark tones, strips of shanties dominate the canvas. The crudely built houses are set against a backdrop of patchworks of contrasting colors, resembling tattered clothes, thus, bizarrely complementing the subject. (A.M.)
Leon GalleryHugo Yonzon, Jr. (1924 - 1994) Triptych of Philippine Country Life: a) Sabungeros b) Vendors c) Rice Planter a.) signed and dated 1955 (lower right) oil on plywood a.) 54 1/6" x 17 7 /8" (138 cm x 45 cm) b.) 54" x 18 1/8" (137 cm x 46 cm) c.) 54" x 17 7/8" (137 cm x 45 cm) PROVENANCE: Private Collection, Manila Towards the 1950s, the Philippine art landscape was flamboyantly becoming unorthodox, revolutionized, and radical. During this time, a brash, new breed of artists would spawn an avant-garde style embedded into the Filipino consciousness—thus, Neo-Realism was born. The ravages of the Second World War also brought an iconoclastic attitude towards the academicism in Philippine art that pervaded the preceding decades. This practice was first undertaken by six artists whose names were closely associated with the early years of the Philippine Art Gallery (PAG): Romeo Tabuena, Hernando R. Ocampo, Vicente Manansala, Victor Oteyza, Ramon Estella, and Cesar Legaspi. From the first generation, a second one emerged. Hugo Yonzon Jr. belonged to that younger cohort, which also included Arturo Luz, Mauro Malang Santos, Jose Joya, and Ang Kiukok. According to the Philippine Center New York, the neo-realist approach to genre scenes in solid but graceful, overlapping geometric forms became Yonzon's preferred style. A rare triptych by Yonzon and one of his early forays into Neo-Realism, the artist painted this piece after winning the First Prize in modern painting at the Art Association of the Philippines' (AAP) 7th annual exhibition in 1954. According to Santiago Albano Pilar, this work is highly significant in the annals of Philippine modern art, for "it was painted in the first authentically Filipino artistic expression, Neo-Realism." This piece reflects Yonzon's Filipino sensibility. Yonzon captures the struggle of the Filipinos towards recovery and rehabilitation associated with the post-war period. The figures are blatantly contorted, signifying the people's anguish and the social turmoil that ensued from the ravages of the war. Emmanuel Torres writes in Art Philippines: "They [the NeoRealists] saw the need to portray life's tensions and conflicts, like the horror and devastation of the recent war…painting Amorsolo-like pastoral visions of the Philippine countryside had reached a dead end." Amid the chaos and disorientation, they continue with their everyday affairs, whether in recreation or toiling. The figures' skin tones are rendered in deep browns, evoking the Filipinos' kayumanggi complexion. Yonzon employs deeply saturated colors, which Albano Pilar referred to as contrasting "with the harmoniously lame pleasantness or sweetness of the Amorsolo palette." The colors are discernibly rich and bold, symbolizing the people's confidence and optimism—their collective faith in the promise of rebirth and renewal under the banner of independence and self-determination. With this piece, Yonzon makes a statement—we Filipinos are never to be subjugated and enslaved again. (A.M.)
Leon GalleryHugo Yonzon Jr. (1924 - 1994) Sabungero signed and dated 1979 (lower right) oil on canvas 15” x 14” (38 cm x 36 cm)
Leon GalleryHugo Yonzon Jr. (1924 - 1994) Untitled signed and dated 1975 (lower right) oil on canvas 22 1/2” x 17 1/3” (57 cm x 44 cm)
Leon GalleryHugo Yonzon Jr. (1924 - 1994) Untitled signed and dated 1968 (lower center) oil on canvas 24” x 33” (61 cm x 84 cm
Leon GalleryHugo Yonzon Jr. (1924 - 1994) Mother and Child signed and dated 1988 (lower right) oil on canvas 18” x 12” (46 cm x 30 cm)
Leon GalleryHugo Yonzon Jr. (1924 - 1994) Untitled hand signed (lower right) etching, 61/222 13 1/2” x 11 1/2” (34 cm x 29 cm)
Leon GalleryColor seripgraph on paper, gallery label to verso, signed and numbered 140/280 in margin. 20" x 7" (sight), 26.5" x 13.5" (framed)
Caza SikesMalakas at Maganda signed and dated 1987 (lower right) oil on canvas 30" x 36" (76 cm x 91 cm) PROVENANCE Private Collection, Makati City Hugo Yonzon, Jr. is best remembered as one of the most prolific modernists of the postwar era. Yonzon would often join both realist modernist competitions held by the Art Association of the Philippines, winning prizes for both. Yonzon’s subjects would also often revolve around a variety of local themes. As he shifted back and forth between different approaches, what remains constant is his subject matter, from the everyday people to those parts of Philippine myths and history. This particular piece features one of the country’s most enduring mythological figures, Malakas and Maganda. Yonzon, Jr.’s dynamic figures give the piece a sense of depth that effectively engages with the viewer. The work’s unique color palette visually echoes the emblem of Yonzon’s distinctly Filipino sensibilities.
Leon GalleryHugo Yonzon Jr. (1924 - 1994) The Procession signed and dated 1955 (lower right) oil on canvas 35 1/2” x 27 1/2” (90 cm x 70 cm)
Leon GalleryHugo Yonzon Jr. (1924 - 1994) Rural Scene signed and dated 1973 (lower right) oil on canvas 32” x 39 1/2” (81 cm x 100 cm)
Leon GalleryHugo Yonzon Jr. (1924 - 1994) Fishermen signed and dated 1981 (lower right) oil on canvas 30" x 24" (76 cm x 61 cm)
Leon Gallerya) Rodolfo Paras Perez (1934 - 2011) Revelry signed and dated 1964 (lower right) etching, 72/210 29” x 22” (74 cm x 56 cm) b) Hugo Yonzon Jr. (1924 - 1994) Kalesa signed (lower right) lithograph, 97/179 9 1/2” x 13” (24 cm x 33 cm)
Leon Gallerya) Rodolfo Paras Perez (1934 - 2011) Man on Stake signed and dated 1977 (lower right) pen and ink on paper 10” x 8” (25 cm x 20 cm) b) Hugo Yonzon Jr. (1924 - 1994) Untitled signed (lower right) pen and ink on paper 5” x 8” (13 cm x 20 cm)
Leon GalleryHugo Yonzon Jr. (1924 - 1994) General Emilio Aguinaldo and the Katipuneros at the Battle of Alapan signed and dated 1994 (lower right) oil on canvas 48" x 76" (122 cm x 193 cm) P 300,000 Provenance Acquired directly from the artist The Battle of Alapan was the first military victory of General Emilio Aguinaldo and his troops on May 28, 1898, after his return to the Philippines from his exile in Hong Kong. While in exile, Aguinaldo made preparations for the continuation of the Philippine Revolution. Upon returning to his country, Aguinaldo reconstituted the Philippine Revolutionary Army and engaged in one of the fiercest battles for independence, facing a garrison of more than 270 Spanish troops under the command of General Leopoldo García Peña in Alapan in present-day Imus, Cavite. Armed with bamboo cannons and Mauser rifles, the Filipino forces emerged victorious from the battle, despite heavy resistance from the Spanish troops who ran out of ammunition in battle and eventually surrendered. The battle lasted for five hours, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. After the battle, Aguinaldo and the katipuneros marched to Cavite, bringing with them 300 Spanish captives, including General García Peña. Aguinaldo then unfurled what was to become the national flag of the First Philippine Republic. Hugo Yonzon Jr. is remembered as one of the most prolific modernists of the postwar era. Yonzon would often join both realist modernist competitions held by the Art Association of the Philippines, winning prizes for both. Yonzon’s subjects would also often revolve around a variety of local themes. As he shifted back and forth between different approaches, what remains constant is his subject matter, from the everyday people to those parts of Philippine myths and history. Yonzon, Jr. also depicted significant historical events and scenes in the country. This particular piece features one of the country’s most celebrated heroes, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, and the katipuneros at the Battle of Alapan. Yonzon, Jr.’s dynamic figures give the piece a sense of depth that effectively engages with the viewer, with the work’s unique color palette visually echoing the emblem of Yonzon’s distinctly Filipino sensibilities.
Leon GalleryHugo Yonzon Jr. (1924 - 1994) Untitled (Landscape) signed and dated 1975 (lower right) oil on canvas 20” x 30” (51 cm x 76 cm)
Leon GalleryHugo Yonzon Jr.(1924 - 1994) Untitled signed and dated 1972 (lower right) oil on canvas 28” x 34” (71 cm x 86 cm)
Leon Gallery