European Sojourn

1955, the year that he got his law degree, proved to be an eventful year for Federico. He held an exhibit at the Philippine Art Gallery (PAG), the most prestigious contemporary art gallery in the Philippines. That same year, with the help of Fernando Zobel, he received a grant from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain to study at the Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, Spain. Once in Spain, he felt that there was not much that the Academia could teach him that he did not already know. Hence, Federico did not stay enrolled there for long.

In Madrid, he shared a studio apartment with a fellow student. He kept his family constantly informed of his activities and the events he participated in by regularly sending them news clippings about his exhibits and his progress. 1955 was also the year that he decided to be known as the artist Federico Aguilar Alcuaz. It is a Spanish custom that one comes to be known by one’s first name followed by the family name and then the maternal name. Hence, for Federico, it would have been Federico Aguilar y Alcuaz. Because Aguilar was quite a common name in Spain, Federico decided that from then on he preferred to be known as Federico Aguilar Alcuaz.

In conservative and traditional post-war Manila, this did not immediately come as pleasant news to his father. Although in time, Federico was able to explain the rationale for this decision and Mariano slowly, albeit grudgingly, came to accept the fact.

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Abstract in Grey 13 x 16.5 in | Oil on Canvas

Year 1981