BENEDICTO REYES CABRERA (BENCAB) (born April 10, 1942) Filipino Artist - Remember me for being Filipino

Benedicto Cabrera

Benedicto Reyes Cabrera (born April 10, 1942), better known as "BenCab", is a Filipino painter and was awarded National Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts (Painting) in 2006. He has been noted as "arguably the best-selling painter of his generation of Filipino artists."

Early life and education

BenCab was born to Democrito Cabrera and Isabel Reyes in Malabon, Philippines on April 10, 1942. He was the youngest of nine children. BenCab's first exposure and discovery of the arts happened through his elder Brother Salvador, who was already an established artist during Bencab's childhood.
He went on to study at the University of the Philippines, where he explored different art visual forms - photography, draftsmanship, printmaking - while honing his chosen craft as a painter. He received his bachelor's degree in Fine Arts in 1963.

Family and European Career

BenCab met British journalist Caroline Kennedy in Manila in 1968, and married her in London in 1969. The couple decided to stay in London. They have three children. The eldest, Elisar, was born in 1971 and is now a film and web series producer, married to award-winning playwright and web series writer, Lisa Gifford, based in London; Their middle child, Mayumi, was born in Manila in 1973 and became a successful model both in London and Los Angeles. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her partner, John A. Fries and their two children, Ronan (2011) and Ione (2013). Their youngest, Jasmine was born in 1977 and currently lives and works with BenCab at the BenCab Museum in Baguio.
Bencab's first years as a painter in London "were not particularly easy", but his talents were immediately recognized. Over the next four decades, he established for himself a name of international importance, holding exhibitions from London to New York to Macau, and winning several major art awards in a career spanning four decades.
When BenCab returned to the Philippines in 1972, he was hailed as a Filipino pioneer of the arts and a significant influence among his peers. However, he returned to London once more in 1974, partly to get away from the tightening grip of Martial Law, which Ferdinand Marcos had declared in 1972. That event is said to have "marked the beginning of [BenCab]'s passionate involvement with social commentary and the topics of repression and freedom.". His Larawan series developed out of his nostalgia for the Philippines. He and Caroline used to scour local flea markets all over Europe looking for early maps and prints of the Philippines. This collection became the basis for his Larawan series.
In 1985, however, BenCab's 16-year marriage with Kennedy ended in divorce, and he eventually decided to come home to the Philippines.

The Baguio Years

BenCab eventually returned to the Philippines, and settled in the City of Baguio in Northern Luzon, eventually putting up a studio and a secluded little farm on Asin road, in the nearby town of Tuba, Benguet. He and a small group of fellow artists - visual artist Santiago Bose, filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik, and sculptor Ben Hur Villanueva, among others, established the Baguio Arts Guild (BAG). It was during this period in his career that BenCab began to more deeply explore the use handmade paper as a medium on which to work.
When the 1990 Luzon earthquake struck, BenCab and the BAG helped out by instituting programs such as the ArtAid workshop for traumatized children, and a fund-raising art auction they titled "Artquake." Bencab was elected president of the guild the following year.
Later in the 1990s, BenCab's input was a critical element in the creation of Tam-awan Village, "a refuge for local artists who desire a nurturing environment in which to develop their talents, and a community for all those who wish to take part in the harmonious fusion of art, culture, environment, and history."
BenCab also exhibited considerably during the last decade of the Millennium, also reaping many accolades. Among the most prominent of the many awards received by BenCab during this period was the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining (Cultural Center of the Philippines Award for the Arts) in 1992.

National Artist and Recent Awards

In 2006, the Philippine Government conferred upon him the Order of National Artist for Visual Arts. In 2009, the University of the Philippines conferred upon him an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree.

Published Collections of Works

Five books covering BenCab's works have been released:

• Ben Cabrera: Etchings (1970–1980) by Cid Reyes;
• Bencab’s Rock Sessions by Eric Caruncho;
• BENCAB by Alfred Yuson and Cid Reyes; and
• BenCab: Nude Drawings by Alfred Yuson;
• BenCab Portraits by Ambeth R. Ocampo.

 Worker, 1964

Untitled by Benedicto Cabrera 1968 

Imaginary Portrait Of Sabel by Benedicto Cabrera 1970

Drapes 1 by Benedicto Cabrera 1971

Gaze II (Lararawan Series I), 1972

 Untitled (Farmer) by Benedicto Cabrera 1975

Studies of Sabel by Benedicto Cabrera 1980

Untitled (From the 'Larawan' series) by Benedicto Cabrera 1981

'Two Filipinas in the Era of Multinationals' by BenCab, acrylic on paper, 1983.

Dance Improvisation Series' by BenCab, 25 pieces, ink on rice paper, 1983 to 1984, at the Yuchengco Museum. Photo courtesy of Yuchengco Museum

 

 

"Rebel" 25" x 19" Oil Pastel on Handmade Board 1988

Merienda by Benedicto Cabrera 1989

"Sabel" 12" x 11" Mixed Media 1989

 

Nudes, 1990

 

Madonna with Objects, 1991, Acrylic on canvas, 86 cm x 119 cm, Paulino and Hetty Que Collection.

Untitled (Mother and Child), 1993

 

"Nude" 16" x 23" Mixed Media on Paper 1998

Long-Haired Woman, 1998

"Mother and Child" 4.75" x 3.5" Print 2003

Sabel by Benedicto Cabrera 2004

Soldier with Shades by Benedicto Cabrera  2005

 'Studies of Dance Movements' by BenCab, 40 pieces, ink on rice paper, 2006, at the Yuchengco Museum. Photo courtesy of Yuchengco Museum

'Tres Marias' by BenCab, cut aluminum panels, 2006. Photo by Rome Jorge  

Sabel, 2007

'Dance Interpretation' by BenCab, acrylic on canvas, 2007, at the Yuchengco Museum. Photo courtesy of Yuchengco Museum 

'Sayaw Sabel' by BenCab, acrylic on canvas, 2008, at the Yuchengco Museum. Pphoto courtesy of Yuchengco Museum  

Draped Figure XVI by Benedicto Cabrera 2010

'Dance Forms II' by BenCab, relief print on paper, 2010, at the Yuchengco Museum. Photo courtesy of Yuchengco Museum 

"Back to Back" 19.5" x 25.5" Mixed Media 2011

 Draped Series II by Benedicto Cabrera 2011

"Tamara" 25.5" x 19.75" Mixed Media 2011 

"Picasso Nude" 13" x 5" x 12" Solid Copper 2013 

  Sabel, 2014

 

Sabel

BenCab - Benedicto Cabrera, National Artist of the Philippines ...

 

▶ 2:23

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGp1bfYPB0w

17 set 2015 - Caricato da Adobotech TechBlog

National Artist of the Philippines Benedicto Cabrera create an ART in under 3 minutes using the Samsung Note 5.

One on One interview with Benedicto Cabrera (BenCab) - YouTube

 

▶ 2:09

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDpmRHd64ZE

07 mar 2013 - Caricato da Murffy Gopez

BC 105 Showbiz News Murffy Gopez Editor: Joshua Rei Ubaldo.

 'Sabel' by BenCab, acrylic on canvas, at the Metropolitan Museum. Photo by Rome Jorge

Laser-cut BenCab sculpture

A BenCab sculpture.

The Oriental Fan (1982)

 'Ninuno/Anito' by BenCab, acrylic on canvas, 2008, at the Metropolitan Museum

 Benedicto Cabrera - Untitled

 “Woman in Distress” by Benedicto Cabrera aka Bencab. National Museum, Manila. 

Untitled

 

...a suivre...