In celebration of the 75th anniversary of French-Philippine diplomatic relations, the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Philippines (CCI France-Philippines), in support of its partner foundation, France-Philippines United Action (FPUA), successfully organized a Charity Art Auction and Exhibition from October 6 to October 8 at the León Art Gallery, Makati City.
The event for a cause capped off with a live auction and cocktail reception on October 8. In attendance were French Ambassador to the Philippines Michéle Boccoz, León Art Gallery Founder and Director Jaime Ponce De Leon, auctioneer lawyer Tonico Manahan, art enthusiasts and members of the French and Filipino business community.
Highlighted were the works of 13 renowned French and Filipino artists, as well as a selection of masterpieces donated from private collections. Among them is actress-artist Solenn Heussaff-Bolzico whose “Bandido” artwork — inspired by the scenes in Sulu and a modern take on ‘mother and child’ — was auctioned off at P240,000.
Anna Bautista’s “Intersections” — showing two ladies dancing whilst complementing each other and reflects the interrelation of France and the Philippines — was auctioned off at P110,000 from its P50,000 starting bid. Meanwhile, from P160,000 starting bid, Demi Padua’s “I Started A Joke” — inspired by comic book character Harley Quinn — was sold at P650,000.
Showcasing various art forms ranging from paintings to mixed media artworks, other artists that were featured and some sold off are CEET and Egg Fiasco’s “75th Anniversary France-Philippines,” Stella Rojas’ “The Red Rose of Jardin de Bagatelle,” Henry Lamy’s “LOST,” Tammy De Roca’s “an untitled moment,” Pierre Marie Brisson’s “Núit Dans Le Pacifique (Night in the Pacific),” Olivia d’Aboville’s “Kaleidoscope x,” Francis “Isko” Andrade’s “Tranquility,” Adrienne Charuel’s “Orenda,” William Gaudinez’s “Si May-i Sa mga Mata ni Nostradamus,” Stella Rojas’ “Red Rose, Jardin de Bagatelle, Paris,” Marrie Saplad’s “A Cup of 3-Tea,” and Mylene Quito’s “Pureté (Purity)” and “Je Te Promets (I Promise You).”
The exhibit and live auction also featured masterpieces from private collections with the works of Juvenal Sanso, Nena Saguil, Dominic Rubio, Ombok Villamor, and Jose Tence Ruiz.
The top highest bidder will also be given the chance to be invited at the 75th Gala Anniversary of France-Philippines Diplomatic Relations that will be happening on October 22 at Raffles and Fairmont Makati and be rewarded a one hour chartered helicopter flight courtesy of Airbus Helicopter Philippines.
This prestigious gala aims to celebrate the engagements between the two countries, wherein their achievements and milestones are highlighted through a series of activities.
On the other hand, a portion of the proceeds collected from the Charity Art Auction will be donated to the Builds-Back Project of FPUA, a project that will build 100 resilient homes for 100 families affected by Typhoon Odette and living in temporary shelters in Sogod, Southern Leyte.
Maylis Charlat, managing Director of CCI France Philippines and President of FPUA shared during the cocktail reception, “FPUA started in 2013. If you remember, we had Typhoon Hiayan that destroyed Cebu. The French community, with the Filipino business community, gathered together to raise funds and build villages in Cebu. Looking at that, we keep the formation alive with livelihood and different programs and tonight, what we are trying to do is the same – to raise funds for the people in Southern Leyte. We will also work with one of our partners, Edukasyon.ph, who will be providing our community free tutorial classes to help the students bounce back after everything that has happened.”
“We are celebrating the 75th anniversary of France-Philippines diplomatic relations this year so it’s a very important year. Together, the French Chamber and the Foundation has continuously provided diverse opportunities to gather the community, the partners and our network to offer our strong sense of French and Filipino community,” she finally added.
