MH | A R T
PASSAGES
A virtual tour of a landmark retrospective of the work of a Spanish artist who has long called the Philippines home Currently ongoing at The Metropolitan Museum of Manila, is the retrospective exhibition of Betsy Westendorp, a beloved artist born in 1927 in Madrid, Spain. By virtue of her marriage to SpanishFilipino Antonio Brias in the 1950s and a lifetime residency in Manila, Westendorp has through the decades become a perceptive observer and, more importantly, an active participant in the Philippine art scene. As such, Westendorp has produced and shared with the Philippines an astonishing body of works, now highlighted in PASSAGES: Celebrating the Artistic Journeys of Betsy Westendorp. The exhibition gathers Westendorp’s portraits of the society elite of Madrid and Manila, her landscapes of Philippine terrain, seascapes of Manila Bay, her colorful celebration of Philippine flora, especially the various species of the native orchid, and, literally in the sunset of her years, the grand symphonic cloudscapes across Philippine skies. Over 100 artworks of the artist’s illustrious painting career form this retrospective collection, celebrating her journeys that span more than sixty years of prolific art practice.
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Bienvenido Tantoco, Sr. Pastel on paper 1974 Private Collection
Cascading Orchids Oil on masonite 1982 Cultural Center of the Philippines
