For many people, an artist is known through their artworks. The great painter Juan Luna was best known for his Spolarium while Fernando Amorsolo is famous for his landscapes and portraits of idyllic country life.
Fundacion Sanso, a private, non-profit institution established to promote the legacy and art of Presidential Medal of Merit Awardee Juvenal Sansó, hopes to show the story of the person past the title of maestro with “Sansó at The Writers Bar,” a two-month-long, afternoon tea program at The Writers Bar of Raffles Hotel Makati, which runs from July 6 to September 6.
The afternoon tea is an event leading to the display of “The Last and the Best of Sansó’s Modernos,” a collection of the artist’s Moderno series, which will be exhibited at the Modern and Contemporary Art Festival (Mo-CAF) on July 28 to 30 at the Grand Ballroom of the Fairmont Makati.
(MoCAF) on July 28 to 30 at the Grand Ballroom of the Fairmont Makati.
It is also a preview of the pieces to be presented by the Fundacion Sansó Museum Shop, including an exclusive peek at the limited-edition Sansó x Rega Turntable, which is a special collaboration with the UK audio brand. The Museum Shop aims not only to be a retail store, but to be a platform for education, empowerment, and art appreciation through its curated products.
The afternoon tea program is curated to be a unique experience. The Writer’s Bar will feature vignettes of Sansó’s works, Sansó giclees, art plates, posters, and books about the artist.
To complete the experience, guests can enjoy tea with a special menu inspired by Sansó’s art, and dine by the light of the artist’s delightful Breton House Series of lamps on each of the tables. The menu has touches of Spanish favorites like gazpacho and churro, staying true to Sanso’s heritage. Adding to those, the colorful artworks of Sanso are printed on the sweet desserts.
One of the highlights of this pop-up is the Moderno painting. The Moderno works were exhibited in the mid-2000s to the early 2010s, when Sansó was in his early 80s. This series is representative of Sansó’s third wind of creativity, as the intricacy of detail, and a near-photographic clarity of lines in the works seem to be in sharp contrast to his advanced age. The Modernos are an attestation of Sanso’s skill as an artist and are symbolic of a culmination of a life in art that is rich and well-lived.
