Mounting a retrospective at the National Museum that summarizes in 100 select paintings the seven decades of modernist maestro Juvenal Sansó’s amazing life experiences, devoted art practice, and compelling works is a daunting task, admitted Ricky Francisco, Foundation Sansó director and curator of the show, ‘Sansó: Pusong Pilipino.’
But it’s also a long-time dream of the foundation.
According to Francisco, three main challenges stood out: Selecting a limited number of works from Sansó’s extraordinarily vast and varied artistic career; navigating the National Museum’s institutional scale and approval processes; and balancing the time and energy of the Fundacion Sansó team while it was handling other projects, too.
‘Sansó: Pusong Pilipino is the first solo exhibition at the National Museum of the Philippines devoted entirely to the art of Juvenal Sansó. It represents a major moment not only for the foundation, but also asserts the place in Philippine art occupied by Sansó.
‘The exhibition is also, in many ways, a belated acknowledgment by the Philippines of Sansó as one of its own artists,’ added Francisco.
The National Museum exhibition has been an aspiration of Fundacion Sansó, which didn’t materialize until his passing last year.
According to Francisco, it was when National Museum Director-General Jeremy Barnes visited the wake and paid respects to the artist that the conversation started rolling about presenting Sansó’s works at the National Museum.
‘We believe it is important for Mr. Sansó’s works to be exhibited at the National Museum because he always considered himself Filipino, even though he was unable to complete the process of acquiring Filipino citizenship,’ replied Francisco.
Spiritual homeland
Born in Catalonia, Spain, on November 23, 1929, Sanaó emigrated with his family to Manila when he was only five years old. He lived through World War 2 in Manila and became an art student at the UP School of Fine Arts. To explore modernism, he also took up special classes at the University of Sto. Tomas.
Later, he traveled to Europe to pursue higher studies and to reside there.
Though he lived in Europe for most of his life, he remained connected to the Philippines. His experiences in the Philippines-particularly his wartime experiences-shaped his vision and remained present throughout his career.
But at least once a year, he returned from Europe to the Philippines and presented an art exhibit. Eventually, he retired in the country and established Fundacion Sansó with close friends in 2014. He passed away on March 28, 2025 in Manila at the age of 95.
The foundation has a museum of his works in San Juan City, but beyond that, it also supports talented younger artists through art grant programs and scholarships.
‘For these reasons, we felt a responsibility to give the exhibition the care it required. Despite the many competing demands on our time, we had to protect the project, focus our energies, and make sure that it was presented with the seriousness and dignity that both Mr. Sansó and the National Museum deserved,’ Francisco told BusinessMirror.
Long-time goal
The National Museum exhibition has been an aspiration of the foundation, but it didn’t materialize until his passing away last year.
According to Francisco, it was when National Museum Director-General Jeremy Barnes visited the wake and paid respects to the artist that the conversation started rolling about presenting Sansó’s works at the National Museum.
‘We believe it is important for Mr. Sansó’s works to be exhibited at the National Museum because he always considered himself Filipino, even though he was unable to complete the process of acquiring Filipino citizenship,’ replied Francisco.
Work of love and respect
In the National Museum exhibition, the result of the judicious process of selecting from among 600 of Sansó’s artworks that he entrusted to the Philippines is 100 works that capture the scope and spirit of Sansó’s visual language.
‘We believe it is important to honor him as a Philippine artist. He loved the Philippines. He learned his art here and later honed it in Europe, but he never forgot his roots.
His Philippine experience-particularly his experiences during the Second World War and his survival of its violence-profoundly shaped and inspired his work.
Besides the collaboration with the museum, under the leadership of Barnes, several rarely seen-and, in some cases, previously unseen-works by Sansó were made possible through the generous cooperation of the artist’s collectors.
Among the works inspired by Sansó’s spiritual motherland is the Hermana Mayor Series, focusing on the coastal landscape of Zambales.
‘We are deeply grateful to Raffy Cuevas, Rey Gonzales, and Marlon and Marissa Sanchez for lending important works from the Hermana Mayor Series to the exhibition. Their generosity has allowed us to present this significant aspect of Sansó’s engagement with the Philippine landscape more fully,’ said the Fundacion Sansó director.
Other rare highlights are Sansó’s Ati-atihan paintings, which belong to Sansó’s broader Moderno Series from the early 2000s, lent by gallerist Jack Teotico.
‘Sansó translated his movement, rhythm, color, and collective energy into his own modern artistic vocabulary,’ Francisco noted.
‘The exhibition also presents some of Sansó’s early student works, generously lent by Mr. Rafael Simpao Jr. and his son, Raffy Simpao. These works allow viewers to examine his artistic beginnings and to see the foundations of the visual language that he would develop throughout his career,’ said Francisco.
Also on show are his ‘Barong-Barong’ and ‘Baklad’ Series, generously lent by Eliot Maguan and Andrew Yap.
‘The exhibition allows audiences to encounter works that may be unfamiliar even to those who have followed Sansó’s career for many years. More importantly, they show that the Philippines was not a peripheral subject in his art. It was one of its enduring sources,’ commented Francisco.
Sansó for the younger generation
Besides its scholarship grants, other initiatives by Fundacion Sansò to make the master artist’s works accessible to a wider audience include organizing pop-ups in malls like SM Megamall and Rockwell, as well as in educational institutions like De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts, and with institutions outside Luzon.
The foundation has also partnered with museums and has published books that document Sansó’s life and artistic journey in the context of history and culture.
It has likewise collaborated with brands like Theo and Philo Artisan Chocolates and Tsaa Laya, wherein iconic paintings of the artist are featured in their packaging.
‘For Fundacion Sansó, keeping his work relevant does not mean changing it to follow every new trend. It means continually creating meaningful ways for new generations to encounter it,: Francisco noted.
Through its dynamic efforts within and outside the foundation’s venue, Francisco stated: ‘Sansó remains relevant not only as an artist to be remembered, but as an example of how an artist’s legacy can continue to serve others,’ stated Francisco.