Sinukmani

The Philippine Center maintains a collection of modern and contemporary art that is often-called the Core Collection of 1974. This prized collection consists of 120 pieces of art that shows the unique artistic diversity of the Philippines in the late 1970s. National artists Vicente Mansansala, Benedicto Cabrera, Cesar Legaspi, Hernando Ocampo, Arturo Luz, Ang Kiok, Jose Joya, Jerry Elizalde Navarro, Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, and distinguished artists like Venancio Igarta, Leon Pacunayen, Manuel Rodriguez Sr., and Eduardo Castrillo are among the illustrious Filipino artists that are included in the collection.

While modern and contemporary art make up most of the collection, there are notable media (brass sculpture, carved wood and printmaking) that form part of the collection that contributes in spotlighting the artistic heritage of the Philippines.

These splendid works of fine art were curated by Arturo Luz, then director of the Metropolitan Museum, the Design Center of the Philippines and the Museum of Philippine Arts, and renowned designer Wili Fernandez. Assisting them were Artists Mauro Malang Santos and National Artist Jerry Elizalde Navarro.

The collection was acquired through purchase, donation or official commission on the occasion of the inauguration of the Philippine Center on November 14, 1974. The Philippine Center in New York and the National Museum of the Philippines agreed to hold a homecoming exhibition in February 2021 featuring most of the Center’s Core Collection of 1974. The special exhibit was held in Manila and then later in Cebu City.

The Philippine Center art collection has since expanded in terms of theme, style, medium, with many works donated by Filipino artists based in the Philippines, the United States and other parts of the world.