Federico aguilar alcuaz autobiography samples
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He later settled in Barcelona, where he became affiliated with the avant-garde La Punalada Group, engaging with artists such as Antoni Tàpies and Modest Cuixart. His pieces reside in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in London, and the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, affirming his presence in the international canon of postwar modernism.
Awards & Accolades
Alcuaz received early acclaim with the Premio Moncada (1957) and the Prix Francisco Goya (1958) in Barcelona.
Visit his website federicoaguilaralcuaz.com/
Early Life & Education
Born on June 6, 1932, in Santa Ana, Manila, Federico Aguilar Alcuaz was the sixth of eleven children in a family shaped by intellectual and artistic sensibilities—his father, Mariano Aguilar, was a lawyer and musician, while his mother, Encarnación Alcuaz, managed the household.
In 2009, he was conferred the National Artist for Visual Arts by the Philippines, affirming his role in shaping the nation’s modern art trajectory.
Influences
Alcuaz’s formative years were shaped by the academic realism of his mentors at the University of the Philippines, particularly Fernando Amorsolo and Guillermo Tolentino.
Then Alcuaz went on to take up law at the Ateneo de Manila University from where he graduated in 1955. His love for fine dining and performance revealed a dimension of creativity beyond the canvas, embodying the spirit of a true *flâneur* of postwar cosmopolitan culture.
Legacy
Alcuaz’s synthesis of European modernism and Filipino thematic roots paved the way for subsequent generations of artists navigating transnational identities.
The gestural intensity of Antoni Tàpies and the surrealist abstractions of Modest Cuixart profoundly influenced his shift toward expressive, non-representational forms. In Paris, he was awarded the Diploma of Honor at the International Exhibition of Art Libre in 1961, the decoration of Arts, Letters and Sciences award from the French government 1964 and the Order of French Genius in 1964.
7, 2007), the first anniversary show of Galerie Joaquin Singapore, showcased rare pieces from the artist’s early works including 10 oil on canvas works and 10 of mixed media or watercolor. The artworks were sourced from collectors in Europe and the Alcuaz family collection, these being some of the best from the artist’s oeuvre. In the same year he began signing his paintings with Aguilar Alcuaz to distinguish himself from two other Aguilars who are also members of the La Punalada Group.
Alcuaz’s “Tres Marias” sold at HK$ 271,000 (PHP 1,490,000), 9 times above the minimum estimate while “Still Life with Landscape” sold at HK$ 112,500 (PHP 618,750), which is at 5 times its minimum estimate.
Several Alcuaz paintings were featured in the definitive book on Alcuaz, “Parallel Texts” by Rod Paras Perez, which included rare watercolor pieces “Manila 1968” and “Manila 1968 II” and other paintings on Wiesbaden, Germany.
Artistic Style & Themes
Alcuaz’s work is defined by abstract compositions that evoke organic, vegetal, or visceral forms, often imbued with a primal, atmospheric tension.
Among his professors at UP were National Artist Fernando Amorsolo (painting) and National Artist Guillermo Tolentino (sculpture) as well as other pillars of Philippine art, such as Toribio Herrera, Ireneo Miranda and Constancio Bernardo.
After his undergraduate courses, he took up studies in law at the Ateneo de Manila University where he graduated with a Diploma in Law in 1955.
In 1959, he met Ute Schmitz, whom he married 3 years later and they had 3 sons.
He died on February 2, 2011, in Manila, Philippines due to natural causes.
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Born in June 6, 1932 in Manila City, Federico was the sixth of eleven children and took his primary and secondary education at public schools.
Alcuaz's works are included in the collection of some 20 museums and major cultural institutions in the world today including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Madrid, the Gulvenkian Foundation Museum of London, the Museum of Modern Art of Warsaw, the Musem of Modern Art of Krakow, and the Philips Cultural Museum of the Netherlands.
Several Alcuaz paintings were featured in the definitive book on Alcuaz, "Parallel Texts" by Rod Paras Perez, which included rare watercolor pieces "Manila 1968" and "Manila 1968 II" and other paintings on Wiesbaden, Germany. In 2025, The Peninsula Manila unveiled three monumental Art Protis tapestries commissioned from his designs, underscoring his pioneering role in textile-based art.
Then he decided to pursue art on a full time basis embarking on a stellar career and winning awards in major art competitions in the Philippines and abroad among them first prize at the 1953 UP Art Competition, first prize in the 1954 Annual Shell Art Competition and second place at the UP Art Competition, also in 1954.
His legacy endures not only in museum collections and public installations but in the expanded vision of Philippine modernity he helped articulate—a vision where cultural duality becomes a source of creative power.
Federico Aguilar Alcuaz
Federico Aguilar Alcuaz (June 6, 1932 – February 2, 2011) was an award winning Filipino painter who exhibited extensively Internationally and whose work earned him recognition both in the Philippines and abroad.
Alcuaz was conferred the title of National Artist for Visual Arts, Painting, Sculpture and Mixed Media in 2009.
Several of them cover the period from the mid 60’s to the late 70’s, the period when some of the most exciting Alcuaz works were produced.
The show was made more timely with the recent record prices fetched by Alcuaz pieces in the September 2007 Sotheby’s auction in Singapore and, most recently, the November 25, 2007 Christie’s auction in Hong Kong.