

Artwork by: | Diosdado M. Lorenzo |
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Dimensions: | 42 cm x 57 cm |
Medium: | Oil on Canvas |
Year: | Unknown |
Location: | Washington DC PE |
Filed Under: | Larawan ng Lahi |
Description |
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This is a portrait of Andres Bonifacio, “Father of the Philippine Revolution” by Filipino modernist artist Diosdado M. Lorenzo. The painting made its way to the Philippine Embassy in the United States of America and was originally displayed in the Ambassador’s Office located on the second floor of the Old Chancery Building in Washington, D.C. The hole near the subject’s ear is from a stray bullet that struck the painting during a hostage incident in 1974. On the 18th of November, 1974, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Eduardo Z. Romualdez and economic attaché Mario S. Lagdameo were held at gunpoint for 10 hours in the Ambassador’s office. The perpetrator demanded that his eldest son be permitted by the Philippine martial law government to join the rest of the family in the United States. Shots were fired when DC police entered the building, and a bullet hit the painting. At two o’clock in the morning the next day, with assurances that his son would be allowed to leave the Philippines, the perpetrator threw his gun from the second-floor window and surrendered to police authorities. Ambassador Romualdez was unharmed but Mr. Lagdameo suffered a minor gunshot wound during a scuffle with the perpetrator. When the Chancery moved to its current location at 1600 Massachusetts Avenue in 1994, the painting was displayed in the Conference Room of the Deputy Chief of Mission. It remained there until January 2021, when it was relocated to be a part of the artwork collection at the Ambassador’s Residence. The painting has not undergone restoration to serve as a reminder of the tumultuous times in Philippine history and the danger that our diplomats sometimes face serving our country. |
Written by: Post Public Diplomacy Section |