Prized possession

A landmark in Philippine art publishing has arrived. Recently launched at the Art Lounge in Podium, Mandaluyong, SANSÓ: Prized & Personal is a 464-page volume from Fundación Sansó — the most extensive visual compendium of the artist to date. The book features more than 600 full-color artworks by Juvenal Sansó, many of which have never before been exhibited or published.

Both a tribute and a testament to the late artist, the book is a true collector’s item, released in six different covers. Each cover features a detail from a painting in a private collection, highlighting Sansó’s diverse artistic genres. “This is the kind of book that defines an artist’s legacy,” says Fundación Sansó director Ricky Francisco.

The monumental volume assembles a decade’s worth of rare interviews with Sansó, conducted by some of the Philippines’ most respected cultural figures, including Ray Albano, Cid Reyes, Ambeth Ocampo, and Thelma Sioson San Juan. Adding scholarly depth is a comprehensive timeline of Sansó’s life and oeuvre by art historian Reuben Ramas-Cañete, Ph.D., with Matthew Lopez.

The book also features reflections from nine prominent collectors — including Senate President Miguel Zubiri, Pepper Teehankee, Eliot and Cherry Maguan, Raffy Simpao, Jack Teotico, Jeff Dayrit and Marlon and Marissa Sanchez — who share why Sansó remains one of the most sought-after names in Philippine art. Francisco adds, “It shows the full breadth of Sansó’s achievements — his voice, his vision, the collectors who believed in him, and the scholarship that anchors his place in Philippine art history.”

Completed shortly after Sansó’s passing in 2025, SANSÓ: Prized & Personal is more than a publication — it is an opportunity to preserve and appreciate a vital chapter of Philippine art history. Comprehensive, authoritative, and visually extraordinary, it is a work that should not be forgotten.

Fundación Sansó is located at 32 V. Cruz St., Barangay Sta. Lucia, San Juan. For more information, visit www.fundacionsanso.ph.