SOCIAL SET

History reclaimed

Luis Espiritu · Nov 8, 2026, 2:20 AM

AYALA Museum associate director Aprille Tijam, Embassy of Spain in Manila head of Cultural, Scientific and administrative affairs, Paula Roure-Linhoff, Ayala Foundation Arts and Culture senior director and Ayala Museum director Jorell Legaspi, Ayala Foundation president and Trustee Antonio Joselito Lambino II, Museo Nacional del Prado curator Carlos Navarro, Ayala Foundation chairman Fernando Zobel de Ayala, Museo Nacional del Prado director Dr. Miguel Falomir Faus, National Museum of the Philippines chairman Andoni Aboitiz, Museo Nacional del Prado head of International Relations Francisco Jose Baeza, National Museum director-general Jeremy Barns, deputy director-general for Museums National Museum Arvin Villalon, First Secretary and Consul Philippine Embassy in Madrid Dyan Pastrana, Mianne Laya Ortega. — Photographs courtesy of Ayala Museum

The Ayala Museum became the epicenter of a cultural renaissance as nearly 200 of the metro’s art vanguard gathered for an epoch-making lecture by Museo Nacional del Prado director Miguel Falomir Faus.

Co-hosted by a powerhouse alliance including the Ayala Foundation and the National Museum of the Philippines, the wildly successful event culminated in a historic, electrifying announcement.

For the first time in global art history, the Prado will mount a two-part exhibition dedicated to 19th-century Filipino artists, rightfully elevating our native masters to hang alongside titans like Rubens, Velázquez and Goya.

A spirited open forum transformed the afternoon into a sophisticated intellectual salon, where guests engaged director Falomir on critical contemporary dialogues, from AI in art to the global recognition of Filipino and Latin American contributions.

The sweeping discourse beautifully underscored the monumental significance of the upcoming exhibition, answering a poignant “Why now?” with absolute artistic justification.

This triumphant collaboration did not merely recount the Prado’s prestigious evolution; it firmly anchored the Filipino artistic soul on the world’s most revered stage.

MARILES Gustilo — Photographs courtesy of Ayala Museum

DR. Patricia Araneta and Kat Gosiengfiao. — Photographs courtesy of Ayala Museum

LISA Ongpin-Periquet, Gina and Noel Lorenzana. — Photographs courtesy of Ayala Museum

KEN Esguerra, Richard Lopez and Hugo Bunzl. — Photographs courtesy of Ayala Museum

AYALA Museum assistant curator Jei Ente, UP director of Vargas Museum Tessa Guazon, UP Diliman Department of European Languages, College of Arts and Letters, Dr. Michael Sales, Dr. Nina Capistrano-Baker and Ditas Samson. — Photographs courtesy of Ayala Museum