Starry, starry night for Onib Olmedo's 75th birthday exhibit

MANILA, Philippines - It was a lovely summer evening. There had been a sudden downpour, bringing a welcome respite from the sweltering heat and a shower of raindrops to the parched sugar fields of Bacolod. Before 6 p.m., the rain stopped and, shortly after, a sliver of a moon appeared in the sky with a sprinkling of stars that looked so bright, onlookers felt as if they could literally touch each of them. The whole scene looked like a Van Gogh painting for a tourism poster of the historic city of Bacolod. The city’s rustic charm has not been diminished by the modern amenities of an urban lifestyle such as shopping malls and gated subdivisions.

It seemed like nature had conspired to produce a perfect setting for the opening night of the exhibit of an artist who remains well-loved by the community of culture-loving “Negrenses” in this vibrant and progressive southern city.

Onib Olmedo is acclaimed by critics as a major figurative expresionist artist of the 20th century whose works are considered landmark paintings that have made a significant contribution to the development of art in the Philippines. He garnered all the major local awards during his lifetime, as well as a coveted prize at the prestigious international competition in Cagnes Sur Mer, France — the very first Filipino to be accorded such a distinction. His impact on the art scene continues to be felt to this day, as evidenced by a whole new generation of artists who are self-confessed Olmedo disciples, producing works inspired by their icon’s distinctive style.

The late Onib Olmedo came back to the city where he held a show two decades ago in the gallery of his good friend, the late artist, Lino Severino. It was his family’s way of celebrating Onib’s 75th birth anniversary and bringing his art to a wider audience outside Metro Manila. This time, the exhibit was held at the art gallery-cum-restaurant of one of Bacolod’s young art-loving couples, Charles and Mymy Luzuriaga. The restaurant-gallery, called Italia, is a cozy, tastefully designed fine-dining resto, tucked away on the corner of 23rd Avenue and San Agustin St.

The media and the paparazzi had descended upon the resto-gallery, to cover what was probably the biggest art event of the season in Bacolod City. Gracing the occasion were Onib’s widow, Bettina Olmedo, and his eldest daughter Bambi, who had flown in from Manila for the special event.

Mymy de Luzuriaga, Bettina Olmedo, Mayor Bing Leonardia and Charles Luzuriaga

The A-listers from Bacolod society were also there to celebrate the happy occasion with Onib’s family. The mayor of the city, Bing Leonardia, did the honors during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. He was accompanied by wife Elsa and daughter Kara, who is taking a multi-media course at St. Benilde-De La Salle University in Manila.

Charlie Cojuangco, a well-known Onib Olmedo aficionado, came from the Cojuangcos’ vast hacienda in Pontevedra, 40 kilometers from the fringes of Bacolod City. Among the other prominent guests were former Rep. John Orola; Julius Drilon, brother of the Senator and chief of Bacolod’s major hospital; Joseph Trillana Gonzales, lawyer, writer, and art enthusiast from Cebu who flew in for the exhibit; Omon Maravilla, haciendero and owner of Pendy’s Restaurant; Nikki Drilon, “Masskara Queen 2011”; Negros society writers Eduardo Garcia and Radjie Caram, and Bacolod’s lifestyle editor in chief Eli Tajanlangit.

Charles and Mymy R. de Luzuriaga had their hands full, entertaining the guests and attending personally to every detail of the reception, where champagne flowed and a sumptuous spread of authentic Italian dishes and other house specialties awaited.

My-My’s parents, Mario and Pamela Valderrama, were also celebrating their 39th wedding anniversary that day, which likewise marked the 11th anniversary of the Italia restaurant. Mrs. Valderrama looked stunning in her black palazzo pants matched with a spaghetti-strapped blouse embedded with sequins.

Inday Pefiangco, who had cut the ribbon during Onib Olmedo’s Bacolod art exhibit in the 1980s, told everyone that she had been so lucky to meet Onib in person and acquire his paintings two decades ago. Gilda “Jing-Jing” Fargas-Puey commented how happy she was that she had settled down in Bacolod, where there is no traffic and no pollution. Gilda has retained the dusky good looks that made her a standout among the colegialas at the campus of St. Theresa’s College in Manila during the 1950s.

Charlie Cojuangco’s nephew, Ernesto Barrera, a rancher-entrepreneur based in Australia, popped in later, in time for the stimulating conversation over a delicious degustacion.

A whole cluster of artists came to the exhibit to pay homage to the master, feasting on his “soul portraits” and still lifes. Among them were Nunelucio Alvarado, Rodney Martinez, Dennis Ascalon, and Orville Visitacion.                    

The art world was, likewise, represented by Richie Lerma, the erudite director of the Ateneo Art Gallery, and his pretty wife, Karen, president of Salcedo Auctions. Art curator, Lisa Chikiamco, who will be joining the prestigious Singapore Art Gallery in August, came to the exhibit with her boy friend, Manny Montelibano, a video installation artist.

All in all, the art exhibit opening was a pleasant way to spend a Saturday evening with the warm atmosphere of family, friends, businessmen, government officials, and media people coming together to celebrate the life of a truly great Filipino artist.