Viva imperialism
An allegorical figure of Spain guides a colonial subject to a supposedly better tomorrow in Juan Lunas Spain and the Philippines (1886)
Bidding went ballistic at a Sotheby's art sale in Hong Kong just over a year ago. A little-known Filipino artist named Ronald Ventura sold a striking, surrealist-inspired painting entitled Nesting Ground for $280,000, 20 times higher than its presale estimate. The emergence of a new trend in Asian art cannot be inferred from a single sale, but works from other contemporary Philippine artists such as Geraldine Javier, Winner Jumalon and Benedicto Cabrera are being sold with increasing frequency and success at auctions and galleries in Hong Kong, Singapore, London and New York City. Mok Kim Chuan, the head of...
