French Ambassador to the Philippines Michele Bocuse opened the live auction and cocktail reception with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Photo by Ryan Baldemore
Celebrating the 75th anniversary of French-Philippines 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), has successfully organized a charity. Auction and art exhibition from October 6 to October 8 at Lion Art Gallery, Makati City.
The event for a cause concluded with a live auction and cocktail party on October 8. In the presence of French Ambassador to the Philippines Michel Bocuse, León Art Gallery founder and director Jaime Ponce De Leon, auction attorney Toniko Manahan, art enthusiasts and members of the French and Filipino business community.
The works of 13 famous French and Filipino artists are highlighted, as well as a selection of masterpieces donated from private collections. Among them are actress and artist Solén Husav-Polzeko who auctioned for 240,000 pesos, inspired by scenes in Solo and a recent painting of “Mother and Child”.
Anna Bautista’s “Crossplay” – which shows two women dancing as they complement each other and reflects the interrelationship between France and the Philippines – was sold for 110,000 pesos from the initial bid of 50,000 pesos. Meanwhile, starting with an initial offer of 160,000 pesos, Demi Padua’s “I Started A Joke”—inspired by the comic book character Harley Quinn—sold for 650,000 pesos.
Solenn Heussaff-Bolzicos – Bandido
“Intersections” by Anna Bautista
Demi Padwa ‘I Started a Joke’
Displaying various art forms ranging from paintings to mixed media artwork, other artists exhibited and some of them sold are CEET and Egg Fiasco’s “75th Anniversary of France and the Philippines”, “Stella Rojas” “The Red Rose of Jardin de Bagatelle”, and Henry Lamy’s LOST, Tami de Roca’s Untitled Moment, Núit Dans Le Pacifique (Night in the Pacific) by Pierre Marie Bresson, Kaleidoscope x by Olivia de Apoville, Frances “Esco” Andrade “Tranquility,” Adrienne Charuel’s” Orenda, “William Gaudinez” Si May-i Sa mga Mata ni Nostradamus, “Stella Rojas”, Red Rose, Jardin de Bagatelle in Paris, “Mare Saplad’s” A Cup of 3-Tea” and “Pureté (Purity)” By Melin Keto and “Je Te Promets (I Promise).”
The exhibition and live auction also featured masterpieces from private collections with works by Juvenal Sanso, Nina Saguel, Dominic Rubio, Ombuque Villamor and José Tenes Ruiz.
The highest bidder will also be given a chance to be invited at the 75th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between France and the Philippines which will take place on October 22nd in Raffles and Fairmont Makati and will be rewarded with a one hour charter helicopter flight from Airbus Helicopter Philippines. .
This prestigious festival aims to celebrate the engagement between the two countries, where their achievements and milestones are highlighted through a series of activities.
Meanwhile, a portion of the proceeds from the charity art auction will be donated to FPUA’s Builds-Back Project, a project that will build 100 resilient homes for 100 Hurricane Odette-affected families living in temporary shelters in Sogod, south of Leyte.
Myles Charlat, Managing Director of CCI France Philippines and President of FPUA shared during the reception, “FPUA started in 2013. If you remember, we had Hurricane Hiayan that devastated Cebu. The French community, with the Filipino business community, came together to raise money and build villages in Cebu.Given that we are keeping the formation alive with different livelihoodsprograms and tonight what we are trying to do is the same -to raise money for people in South Leyte.We will also work with one of our partners, Edukasyon.ph, who will provide free tutoring to our community to help students To recover after everything that happened.”
“We are celebrating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and the Philippines this year, so it is a very important year. Together, the French Chamber and the Foundation have consistently provided diverse opportunities to bring together the community, partners and our network to deliver our strong sense of the French and Filipino community.”