Birth Anniversary of Napoleon Abueva

The #NationalMuseumPH celebrates the 92nd birth anniversary of National Artist for Sculpture Napoleon V. Abueva, born #OnThisDay in 1930.

Napoleon V. Abueva (1930-2018) was recognized as the Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture. His modernist approach can be seen in his exploration of various media such as molave, acacia, langka, ipil, kamagong, palm, adobe, cement, marble, bronze, iron, brass, among others. It is also apparent in the monumental character of his outdoor and public sculptures and the promotion of Philippine themes in his subject matter. His works adorn public buildings such as the altar and hanging crucifix at the UP Diliman Chapel, mural at the National Center for Mental Health, and façade relief at the Insular Life Building in Makati. He also created the memorial cross reliefs at Dambana ng Kagitingan in Mt. Samat Bataan, Sandugo Monument in Tagbilaran Bohol, and Balangiga Encounter Monument in Balangiga Samar. His sculptures can also be seen in public spaces such as La Mesa Eco Park (“Neptune and Aphrodite”), Eternal Gardens Memorial Park (“Transfiguration”), UP Visayas (“Ang Diwata at Ang Dagat”), UP Los Baños (“Pegaraw”), and UP Diliman (“Nine Muses,” “Magdangal,” and “Tres Marias”). Some of his sculptures involve movable components like the “Allegorical Harpoon” at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and “The Spirit of Business” at the UP Diliman campus.

The National Fine Arts Collection has seven Abueva sculptures, including the Manila Pavilion Reliefs “Rajah Sulayman, His Court and the Palisades of Maynilad” (1967) and “Legaspi and the Founding of Manila” (1967). This set of molave relief sculptures is a Gift to the Nation by the Manila Pavilion Hotel. It is exhibited, along with other Abueva’s works, at the National Museum of Fine Arts, Gallery XIII (Vicente and Carmen Fabella Hall). 

Abueva was born on January 26, 1930, in Manila and grew up in Duero, Bohol. When he was young, he showed interest in art and surprised his siblings and friends with his beautiful wooden sculptures. The 1950s marked the beginning of his prolific artistic practice. He enrolled at the UP College of Fine Arts in 1950 as a Pura Villanueva-Kalaw scholar, where he was mentored by National Artist Guillermo Tolentino (1890-1976). While studying at UP, he was already winning in the Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) competitions, such as first prize in the 1951 AAP Semi-Annual Competition and the top prize in the 1952 AAP Annual Art Competition. In 1955, he took up Master of Fine Arts at the Cranbrook Academy of Art sponsored by the Fulbright Travel Grant and Smith-Mundt Scholarship. He also finished a postgraduate course at the University of Kansas. He took up summer courses at Harvard University in 1956. His education made him highly skillful in both classical and abstract representations. This is manifested in his numerous outstanding works that contribute to the development of Philippine modern sculpture.

He was awarded National Artist for Sculpture in 1976 and was the youngest artist to receive the prestigious award. Abueva’s skill, dedication, and passion for art inspired him to produce numerous works until he passed away on February 16, 2018, in Quezon City. 

We are now open! To visit the National Museum of Fine Arts, you may book a tour through this website. Please note the guidelines for visiting. You may also view the 360 degrees virtual tour of select NMFA galleries on the link https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/nmfa360/HTML5/NMFA360.html. See you at the National Museum!

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Text by NMP-FAD

Photo by Bengy Toda

© National Museum of the Philippines (2022)