From Juan Luna and Fernando Amorsolo exhibitions at the Ayala Museum to the ongoing construction of the Contemporary Art Center at Circuit Makati—these are but a few manifestations of the Zóbel de Ayala family’s commitment to championing Filipino art and culture. Now, in addition to decades of support for the local contemporary arts scene, several key pieces by and from the Zóbels are headlining Leon Gallery’s The Spectacular Mid-Year Auction.
“In this Spectacular Mid-Year Auction 2025, we invite you as León Gallery embarks on its 15th fruitful year as your most trusted auction house. A decade and a half have passed since we first leased that space in Corinthian Plaza and officially engaged in the dynamic business of art. The rest, as they say, is history—experiences and turning points we have always been glad to cherish and reminisce about,” says León Gallery director Jaime Ponce de Leon.
Several notable pieces are also going on sale at the auction: “Water Carriers,” Anita Magsaysay-Ho’s third egg tempera work; “From the Market,” Vicente Manansala’s favorite masterpiece; and “Miners” by Hernando R. Ocampo, among many more.
READ: This 2025, The Spectacular Mid-Year Auction of Leon Gallery highlights legacy on the block
“The Burning of Manila” by Fernando Amorsolo, acquired by Don Jacobo Zóbel de Ayala y Roxas
Acquired by Don Jacobo Zóbel de Ayala y Roxas from Amorsolo, “The Burning of Manila” is one of the largest Amorsolo paintings ever to be auctioned. The piece depicts the days leading up to the Japanese occupation of Manila in 1942.
According to Adrian Maranan of León Gallery, Amorsolo “conceived ‘The Burning of Manila’ from his vantage point at the Jones Bridge, when he and his family escaped from their home and ran towards the Pasig River.”
Before its inclusion in Leon Gallery’s The Spectacular Mid-Year Auction, Don Jacobo’s son, Don Enrique, loaned the piece to the National Museum of the Philippines from 2015 to 2025.
“Versión en Toledo” by Fernando Zóbel
“Versión en Toledo” was conceived during Zóbel’s travels to Europe from 1975 to 1977. At the time, he was searching for a place to host his works, and looked fondly at Toledo in Spain. However, he would end up founding the Museo de Arte Abstracto Español in Cuenca.
“Versión en Toledo” was acquired from Galería Theo in Madrid.
“Variante Sobre Un Tema de Cassatt” by Fernando Zóbel
“Variante Sobre Un Tema de Cassatt” is part of a Zóbel series titled Diálogos, where he engages in conversation with a past artist through pencil, pen, or brush. “I stand before a picture I like, and I prefer to communicate with that work by painting too… When ‘I speak’ in these dialogues, I concentrate on one facet, and the result is not an imitation but a comment,” said Zóbel in a 1978 interview with Carlos García Osuna.
“Variante Sobre Un Tema de Cassatt” was acquired from Galeria Grises, Bilbao in 1967.
“Talgo” by Fernando Zóbel
At 15 x 18 inches, “Talgo” from Zóbel’s “serie negra” is one of the few small-format canvases he ever made. “Talgo,” which refers to a Spanish manufacturer of high-speed trains, likely portrays an approaching train, or the sight from inside a moving one, writes Maranan of León Gallery.
For Leon Gallery’s upcoming auction, “Talgo” was acquired from a private collection in Michigan.
“Pequeño homenaje a Stravinski” by Fernando Zóbel
“Little homage to Stravinsky” in English, “Pequeño homenaje a Stravinski” belongs to a six-part series of paintings dedicated to five musicians who inspired Zobel. Joining Stravinsky as muses for Zobel were Claudio Monteverdi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Theobald Böhm, and Marin Marais.
“Pequeño homenaje a Stravinski” was acquired from Galería Theo in Madrid.
León Gallery’s The Spectacular Mid-Year Auction 2025 will be happening on June 7, 2025, 2 p.m. at Eurovilla 1, Rufino corner Legazpi Street, Legazpi Village, Makati City
Follow León Gallery on their social media pages for timely updates: Facebook – www.facebook.com/leongallerymakati and Instagram @leongallerymakati.
