Daily Tribune
On 21 March, Ayala Museum celebrated the run of its breakthrough exhibit, Splendor: Juan Luna, Painter as Hero with Universelle: An Exclusive Concert for its sponsors, partners and collaborators.
With the Manila Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Marlon Chen in the house, the show featured classical music by Spanish, French, Italian, and Filipino composers predominantly from Juan Luna's time. Highlights of the night include Satie's "Trois Gymnopedie no. 3," Julio Nakpil's "Salve Patria," and the contemporary "A New Satiesfaction" by Stephan Koncz.
In attendance were US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, Makati City Mayor Abby Binay, Ayala Foundation chairman Fernando Zóbel de Ayala and Jaime Ponce de Leon, founder and director of León Gallery. Ponce de Leon lent Ayala Museum Splendor's centerpiece artwork, Hymen, oh Hyménée! in time for the 125th anniversary of the declaration of Philippine independence.
"2023 was a stellar year for Ayala Museum primarily because of [Splendor], setting record-breaking attendance…[and] prompting widespread and timely conversation about heroes, national pride, history and nationhood, from the contentious to the sublime," said Mariles Gustilo, senior director of Ayala Museum.
Tony Lambino, president of Ayala Foundation, added, "Splendor [brought] to the fore a long-lost masterpiece, catalyzing public discourse on our rich artistic and cultural treasures. Luna's work is yet another reminder that Filipino talent and creativity are worth global recognition. The legacy of Juan Luna in global excellence is broadly shared today by many young Juans and Marias."
Ayala Foundation manages the Ayala Museum as part of its Arts and Culture Division.
Splendor was an unprecedented single-work exhibition around Luna's Hymen, which was lost from public view for more than a century and is considered the holy grail of Philippine art. It ran for nine months from 12 June 2023 to 24 March 2024, and was co-presented by Ayala Corporation, Ayala Land, and InLife, sponsored by BPI and SMEG, and supported by Matimco and Samsung.
