SansóIn 1988, the Lopez Museum and Library, under the directorship of Roberto M. Lopez, published the book “Sansó: Art Quest Between Two Worlds” and spearheaded a multimuseum exhibit for the artist Juvenal Sansó. Sansó recalled in a personal note how the young museum director was not only magnanimous, but also assisted him throughout the exhibitions to the point of physically setting up an exhibit when there was no one else to help. Touched by the kindness of Lopez, Sansó donated 55 paintings and prints from his personal collection to the Lopez Museum’s permanent collection.

In 2014, the nonstock, nonprofit organization Fundacion Sansó was founded on the donation of Sansó’s personal collection, library and archives.

Two Halves of a Whole puts together selections from Sansó’s generous donations to the two institutions and commemorates not just the artist, but the role of patronage in Philippine arts and culture as exemplified by Sansó and Lopez.

Two Halves of a Whole is copresented by Fundacion Sansó. It is a part of the yearlong retrospective of Sansó. Other exhibitions were mounted at the Ateneo Art Gallery, Ayala Museum, Kalaw Ledesma Foundation Inc. and Vargas Museum.

Highlight on three segments

Meanwhile, the exhibition Exposition looks into one of the most excessively and overtly used words in the Spanish colonial context (“exposition”) and enacts its meaning to realign questions that punctuate this historical episode.

Marrying the tangible with the ideological, the show will highlight three segments of the Lopez collection that refer to varying projects undertaken on the Philippine colony—the cartography collection (maps), the numerous rare books and materials written in Spanish (language and translations of texts) and, lastly, taxonomic projects on flora, one of the most iconic of which is Fr. Manuel Blanco’s Flora de Filipinas.

Doing away with the strict linear telling of history, Exposition will concentrate on the terrains in which these particular projects are framed. Through these anchors, the museum hopes to flesh out how historical production is reliant on how facts, myths, contingencies and limitations are fashioned, hewn and strung together.

ExpositionExposition brings together contemporary artists Cian Dayrit, Liv Vinluan and curatorial projects by Lighting Studies: CTCCCs. The exhibition is copresented by Instituto Cervantes with support from the Cultural Department of the Embassy of Spain in Manila.

Two Halves of a Whole and Exposition will run from August 26 to December 23, 2016.

The Lopez Museum is at the ground floor, Benpres Building, Exchange Road corner Meralco Avenue, Pasig City. Museum days and hours are Mondays to Saturdays, except holidays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Avail of unlimited access to exhibitions and library resources by signing up for the Lopez Museum membership program. Members can borrow books from the lending section and get discounts on lectures, workshops and services for only P1,500. (Story/Photos by: Thea Garing and Yna Musico)