Benedicto Cabrera
Benedicto Cabrera | |
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Cabrera in 2018 | |
Born | Benedicto Reyes Cabrera (1942-04-10) April 10, 1942 (age 82) Malabon, Rizal, Commonwealth of the Philippines |
Nationality | Philippines |
Education | University of the Philippines Diliman |
Known for | Painting |
Awards | Order of National Artists of the Philippines |
Benedicto Reyes Cabrera (born April 10, 1942), better known as "BenCab",[1] is a Filipino painter who was conferred a National Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts (Painting) in 2006.[2] He has been noted as "arguably the best-selling painter of his generation of Filipino artists."[3]
Early life and education
BenCab was born to Democrito Cabrera and Isabel Reyes in Malabon, Philippines on April 10, 1942. He was the youngest of nine children.[2] BenCab's first exposure and discovery of the arts happened through his elder brother, Salvador, who was already an established artist during Bencab's childhood.[3]
He went on to study at the University of the Philippines Diliman. He received his bachelor's degree in Fine Arts in 1963.[2]
Family and European Career
BenCab met British journalist Caroline Kennedy (author of An Affair of State, 1987, and How the English Establishment Framed Stephen Ward, 2013) in Manila in 1968, and married her in London in 1969.[3] The couple decided to stay in London. They have three children. The eldest, Elisar, was born in 1971 and is now a film and web series producer, married to award-winning playwright and web series writer, Lisa Gifford, based in London; Their middle child, Mayumi, was born in Manila in 1973 and became a successful model both in London and Los Angeles. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her partner, John A. Fries, and their two children, Ronan (2011) and Ione (2013). Their youngest, Jasmine was born in 1977, the mother of Sienna Daphne (b.2016), and lives in Quezon City.
When BenCab returned to the Philippines in 1972, he was hailed as a Filipino pioneer of the arts and a significant influence among his peers. However, he returned to London once more in 1974, partly to get away from the tightening grip of Martial Law, which Ferdinand Marcos had declared in 1972. That event is said to have "marked the beginning of [BenCab]'s passionate involvement with social commentary and the topics of repression and freedom,"[3] turning him into a key figure in the development of protest art against the Marcos dictatorship.[4]
His Larawan series was developed out of his nostalgia for the Philippines. He and Caroline used to scour local flea markets all over Europe looking for early maps and prints of the Philippines. This collection became the basis for his Larawan series.
In 1985, however, BenCab's 16-year marriage with Kennedy ended in divorce, and he eventually decided to come home to the Philippines.[5]
The Baguio Years
BenCab eventually returned to the Philippines, and settled in the City of Baguio in Northern Luzon, eventually putting up a studio and a secluded little farm on Asin road, in the nearby town of Tuba, Benguet. He and a small group of fellow artists - visual artist Santiago Bose, filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik, and sculptor Ben Hur Villanueva, among others, established the Baguio Arts Guild (BAG). It was during this period in his career that BenCab began to more deeply explore the use handmade paper as a medium on which to work.[3]
When the 1990 Luzon earthquake struck, BenCab and the BAG helped out by instituting programs such as the ArtAid workshop for traumatized children, and a fund-raising art auction they titled "Artquake." Bencab was elected president of the guild the following year.[3]
Later in the 1990s, BenCab's input was a critical element in the creation of Tam-awan Village, "a refuge for local artists who desire a nurturing environment in which to develop their talents, and a community for all those who wish to take part in the harmonious fusion of art, culture, environment, and history."[3]
BenCab also exhibited considerably during the last decade of the Millennium, also reaping many accolades. Among the most prominent of the many awards received by BenCab during this period was the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining (Cultural Center of the Philippines Award for the Arts) in 1992.[2]
National Artist and Recent Awards
In 2006, the Philippine Government conferred upon him the Order of National Artist for Visual Arts.[2] In 2009, the University of the Philippines conferred upon him an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree.[6] He was also conferred Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa by the University of the Cordilleras in 2018.[7] His other notable recognitions and awards are enumerated below:
1962
- Second Prize, Painting, Shell National Student Art Competition
1963
- First Prize, Painting, University of the Philippines Student Council Art Competition
1967
- First Prize, Photography, 20th Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) Annual Exhibition & Competition
- Second Prize, Photography, 20th AAP Annual Exhibition & Competition
- Third Honorable Mention, Photography, 20th AAP Annual Exhibition & Competition
1969
- Philippine Representative, VI Paris Biennale
1970
- Thirteen Artists Award, Cultural Center of the Philippines
1988
- Kalinangan (Cultural) Award For Painting, City of Manila
1991
- President, Baguio Arts Guild
1992
- Gawad CCP Para Sa Sining (CCP Awards For The Arts) for Visual Arts, Cultural Center of the Philippines
1993
- Chairman, 4th Baguio Arts Festival
1994
- Most Outstanding Kapampangan For Arts & Culture (Painting) Award, given by President Ramos on Pampanga Day
1997
- ASEAN Achievement Award, for Visual & Performing Arts, 5th ASEAN Achievement Awards, ASEAN Business Forum, Jakarta
- Outstanding Citizen of Baguio Award for Arts, given by the mayor of Baguio on the city’s 88th Foundation Day
2005
- Invited by the Singapore Tyler Print Institute to join their Visiting Artists Programme as artist-in residence for one month working on large-scale prints & paperpulp painting.
2006
- Conferred the Order of National Artist for Visual Arts by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Malacanan Palace.
2011
- Holy Angel University Juan D. Nepomuceno Cultural Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts
Bibliography
- Books and Other Publications
- Ben Cabrera: Etchings (1970–1980) by Cid Reyes (1980)
- Bencab’s Rock Sessions by Eric Caruncho (1995)
- Bencab by Alfred Yuson and Cid Reyes (2002)
- BenCab: Nude Drawings by Alfred Yuson (2008)
- BenCab Portraits by Ambeth R. Ocampo (2015)
- My BenCab: Collectors Tell Their Stories (2018) (edited by Thelma Sioson San Juan)
See also
References
- ^ "The National Artists of the Philippines: Benedicto R. Cabrera". The National Committee for Culture and the Arts Website. National Committee for Culture and the Arts. 2008. Archived from the original on August 11, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e "National Artist". BenCab Museum Website. BenCab Art Foundation. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g Andy Zapata Jr. (2003). "Homegrown: Profile of Ben Cabrera". HOMEGROWNART.NET. Jennifer Lapira. Archived from the original on August 22, 2009. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
- ^ Alice., Guillermo (2001). Protest/revolutionary art in the Philippines, 1970-1990. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press. ISBN 9715421679. OCLC 50184719.
- ^ Marge C. Enriquez (May 19, 2009). "How tai chi brings out BenCab's creativity". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on August 4, 2009.
- ^ Regidor, Anna Kristine. "BenCab comes home". UP Diliman Information Office. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
- ^ Llanes, Jonathan (September 2, 2018). "BenCab, Kidlat conferred honorary degrees". Sunstar. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ "Awards & Distictions [sic]". BenCab Museum. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
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- 1973 Juan Nakpil
- 1976 Pablo Antonio
- 1990 Leandro Locsin
- 2006 Ildefonso P. Santos Jr.
- 2014 José María Zaragoza
- 2018 Francisco Mañosa
- 1973 Francisca R. Aquino
- 1976 Leonor Orosa
- 1988 Lucrecia Reyes
- 2006 Ramon Obusan
- 2014 Alice Reyes
- 2022 Agnes Locsin
- 2006 Ramón Valera
- 2022 Salvacion Lim Higgins
- 1976 Lamberto V. Avellana
- 1982 Gerardo de León
- 1997 Lino Brocka
- 2001 Ishmael Bernal
- 2003 Eddie Romero
- 2006 Fernando Poe Jr.
- 2009 Manuel Conde
- 2018 Kidlat Tahimik
- 2022 Nora Aunor
- 2022 Marilou Diaz-Abaya
- 2022 Ricardo Lee
- 1973 Amado V. Hernandez
- 1973 José Garcia Villa
- 1976 Nick Joaquin
- 1982 Carlos P. Romulo
- 1990 Francisco Arcellana
- 1997 N. V. M. Gonzalez
- 1997 Carlos Quirino
- 1999 Edith Tiempo
- 2001 F. Sionil José
- 2003 Virgilio S. Almario
- 2003 Alejandro Roces
- 2006 Bienvenido Lumbera
- 2009 Lazaro Francisco
- 2014 Cirilo F. Bautista
- 2018 Ramon Muzones
- 2018 Resil B. Mojares
- 2022 Gémino Abad
- 1973 Antonio Molina
- 1976 Jovita Fuentes
- 1988 Antonino Buenaventura
- 1988 Lucrecia Kasilag
- 1991 Lucio San Pedro
- 1997 Levi Celerio
- 1997 Felipe Padilla de León
- 1997 José Maceda
- 1999 Ernani Joson Cuenco
- 1999 Andrea Veneracion
- 2014 Ramon Santos
- 2014 Francisco Feliciano
- 2018 Ryan Cayabyab
- 2022 Fides Cuyugan-Asensio
- 1987 Atang de la Rama
- 1997 Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero
- 1997 Rolando Tinio
- 1999 Daisy Avellana
- 2001 Severino Montano
- 2003 Salvador Bernal
- 2018 Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio
- 2022 Tony Mabesa
- 1972 Fernando Amorsolo
- 1973 Botong Francisco
- 1973 Guillermo Tolentino
- 1976 Napoleon Abueva
- 1976 Victorio Edades
- 1981 Vicente Manansala
- 1990 Cesar Legaspi
- 1991 Hernando R. Ocampo
- 1997 Arturo R. Luz
- 1999 J. Navarro Elizalde
- 2001 Ang Kiukok
- 2003 José T. Joya
- 2006 BenCab Cabrera
- 2006 Abdulmari Imao
- 2009 Federico Aguilar Alcuaz
- 2014 Francisco Coching
- 2018 Larry Alcala
- National Commission for Culture and the Arts
- Cultural Center of the Philippines