The superstars of contemporary art
In a lineup that’s as magnificent as promised, there’s no shortage of gems at León Gallery’s Magnificent September Auction 2025. Among the modernist highlights are Juvenal Sansó’s large-scale coral seascapes that transport you to another world. There are the enigmatic cubist figures of Cesar Legaspi, Manansala’s market scenes layered with meaning, and dynamic abstractions by Joya. From the female modernists, a rare treat: an Anita Magsaysay-Ho from her egg tempera series, created during her time at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in the US.
The block is set to highlight thought-provoking works on paper by Roberto Chabet, the father of conceptual art; intriguing pieces by Elmer Borlongan and Marcel Antonio; and, of course, the golden names of Philippine art history: Fernando Amorsolo and Fernando Zóbel.
But León Gallery’s Magnificent September Auction 2025, coming up on Sept. 13, doesn’t focus on the titans of the past.
The spotlight shines equally on the stars of today’s contemporary art scene—artists very much alive and kicking, who continue to innovate, experiment, and shape the discourse of art in the country. Here are some of the names and works that you can’t miss.
The thoughtful threads of Raffy Napay
Ah, Raffy Napay. How I’ve heard many a collector dream of having his textile-based artwork. There’s something about textile art that feels intimate, perhaps because it recalls the wearable fabric of everyday life.
His over six-foot-tall piece “Garden II” (2020) was made in the fateful year of the pandemic, when many looked to nature for solace. There is a sense of growth and vitality in the stitched foliage, overflowing in oranges and greens, as coral hues interlace with subtle blues.
Also on the block is a more recent work that shows Napay’s experimentations with neutral-hued threads. The untitled monochromatic piece shows a study in thick white thread with sepia tones peeking underneath. As always, Napay wields thread as though it were paint, weaving and interconnecting greater meaning into every layer.
Geraldine Javier’s reflections on nature
It’s hard to pin down Geraldine Javier. For decades now, she has experimented with mediums in the true spirit of an artist, seemingly indifferent to the dictates of the market. She has worked with traditional painting, the ethereal use of embroidery, and puppet-like works of stalwart artists. More recently, she has been delving into the use of natural dyes and fibers.
Often, her work touches on the subtleties and pertinent issues surrounding nature. This particular piece, “Everything is Tickety-Boo,” continues to explore these themes of nature, as well as death.
Using leaf imprints, fluid acrylics, encaustic, fabric, and wood, she forms an impression of a horse and its inner antamony. In charming colors and patterns, Javier creates an overall positive, or “tickety-boo” image of what could have been macabre, highlighting a contrast of beauty and decay in one frame.
Demi Padua’s geometric hyperrealism
Fresh from his exhibition at the National Museum of Fine Arts last August, Demi Padua is a hot commodity.
The work on the block, “Woman of the Century,” has some philanthropic background to it, as it was acquired in 2023 to benefit the I Want to Share (IWTS) Foundation, initiatives for the Philippine General Hospital’s Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, and the Childhood Cancer Helpline.
The work itself is four feet high and features Padua’s distinctive hyperrealistic, monochromatic style of a human face—this time of a female—under layers of various geometric shapes and colors at varying angles and curves.
The Surreal Realism of Marc Aran Reyes
Under 30, the young artist born in 1996 established his presence in contemporary art early on. For many years, Marc Aran Reyes has been creating impactful hyperrealistic oil on canvas artwork that is simultaneously surreal. Always striking, his figures are at first difficult to tell if painted or photographed.
Among these contemporary artworks, Reyes’ work on the block for León Gallery’s Magnificent September Auction 2025 was only done quite recently, having been painted just this year.
In the six-foot-wide painting, Reyes depicts a solitary woman amidst a swirling, ambiguous form, either mechanical, organic, or wholly imagined. There is something to Reyes’ monochrome technique that exemplifies his excellent use of light and shadow, which evokes a sense of reflection, if not reverie.
The human condition, as told by Ronald Ventura
If you know Ronald Ventura, you know he is considered something of a “rockstar” of the art world. Apart from staggering auction records, the artist has some swagger, which translates to gritty, plucky artwork, too. He veers towards social commentary through cartoonish or graffiti-like pieces, which often stir a reaction, either through their content or exacting photorealism.
One of the featured works is an eight-foot mixed media on wood piece from his “Humanime” series in 2011, starting at P4 million. Lot 105 delivers a commentary on war, depicting a tree that bears missiles as its fruit in metaphor.
Another earlier work of Ventura at León Gallery’s Magnificent September Auction 2025 is “Noon Time,” which was exhibited in Milan with Primo Marella Gallery in 2010. This poignant, hyperrealistic work captures a quintessential Filipino living room. It is monochromatic, save for the TV screen, and flanked by an electric fan, faded posters, and calendar pages, evoking everyday Filipino life paused at a noontime show.
Connecting the masters with mavericks
While León Gallery’s Magnificent September Auction 2025 features the masters, there is no shortage of mavericks, particularly contemporary artists whose works are sought after and definitely difficult to acquire.
In a cross-section of styles, themes, and techniques, expect to see the evolving strength and breadth of art in the country at this upcoming auction, with contemporary art remaining relevant and shining bright in our world today.
León Gallery’s Magnificent September Auction 2025 starts at 2 p.m. on Sept. 13, 2025 at G/F Eurovilla 1, Rufino corner Legazpi St., Legazpi Village, Makati City
