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anita magsaysay-ho
Anita Magsaysay-Ho was an important and influential Philippine artist who helped to encourage and support the development of Modern Art and Neo-Realist painting in her country. Born in Manila in 1914, she went on to study at the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts with Fabian de la Rosa and acclaimed Filipino painter Fernando Amorsolo. She later traveled to the United States and was a student at both the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan and the Art Students League in New York.
Along with other celebrated Filipino artists of the Modern Art era, including Vicente Manansala and Fernando Zobel, she and her peers broke away in the 1950's from the constraints of the previous more conservative artistic trends. Her paintings evolved and headed more towards Modernism as she experimented with cubist distortion and a more stylized look. She was the only woman who was part of the “Thirteen Moderns”, a group of Filipino Modernists. Throughout her life, her works frequently celebrated and were inspired by strong, beautiful Philippine women working at everyday tasks such as harvesting crops, washing clothes, and cooking meals for their families. She expressed great admiration for the Philippine women she portrayed through her art. She noted, “In my works, I always celebrate the women of the Philippines. I regard them with deep admiration and they continue to inspire me—their movements and gestures, their expressions of happiness and frustration, their diligence and shortcomings, their joy of living. I know very well the strength, hard work, and quiet dignity of Philippine women, for after all, I am one of them.”
The artist traveled extensively with her husband, Robert Ho, son of a Chinese shipping tycoon, and they moved over 40 times to a variety of countries, raised five children and had 14 grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Their many relocations were strongly influenced by the fact that, after her marriage, her citizenship was revoked and her husband was not allowed to become a Philippine resident. This situation upset her greatly, as she had such a deep love for her country.
She was described as gentle, kind and humble, and her daughter Doris has said that “Humility was the best lesson she taught us. She never measured her success in material things. She gave us inner confidence as she lived as a gentle spirit who felt her life was an offering to God.” The multi-talented artist was also known to write poetry.
Magsaysay-Ho's artistic career was long and successful and her works earned many awards during her lifetime, including second Prize in the 1950 Manila Grand Opera House Exhibition for her painting titled “Five Senses”. She also was awarded 1st prize three times by The Philippine Art Association, in 1952 for "The Cooks", in 1959 for “Mending the Nets”, and in 1960 for “Two Women”. In 1999 one of her paintings sold for a record high price at the time for a living Filipino artist. She lived to the age of 97 and died in her birthplace, the city of Manila. Her paintings can be found in the collections of the Ateneo Art Gallery in Manila, The Lopez Memorial Museum and Library in Pasig, The Metropolitan Museum of Manila, and The Yuchengco Museum in Makati City.
For additional information about this fascinating artist, please visit:
Wikipedia: Anita Magsaysay-Ho
Aware Women Artists
A Look Back at Anita Magsaysay Ho: Her Life, Art, And Philosophies
Lifestyle.Inquirer.net - “In celebration, in praise of artist Anita Magsaysay-Ho”
Hidden Figures: Anita Magsaysay-Ho’s Nude Women
Asian Art Museum “Popcorn Sellers in the Luneta”
Figuration Feminine - Paintings of Women by Women
Tutt Art - Anita Magsaysay-Ho - Cubist Painter
Anita Magsaysay-Ho Life Story
Anita Magsaysay-Ho, the artist behind the P84 million 'Tinapa Vendors' painting