ART HEIST Measuring 12 inches by 18 inches, “Mango Harvesters,” a portray by Nationwide Artist Fernando Amorsolo from 1936, has been reported stolen from the Hofileña Museum in Silay Metropolis, Negros Occidental. Safety cameras confirmed the portray being taken by two guests round 10 a.m. on July 3. —photos from the Leon Gallery web site/Carla P. Gomez
BACOLOD CITY, Philippines —A 12×18-inch portray by Nationwide Artist Fernando Amorsolo was reported stolen from a preferred personal museum, the Hofileña Museum, in Silay Metropolis.
The museum’s CCTV information confirmed that the portray, referred to as “Mango Harvesters,” was taken by a minimum of two thieves from the museum’s second ground the place it was on show together with different work and sketches.
The stolen portray is completely different from, however thematically just like, Amorsolo’s “Mango Gatherers,” which was bought by Leon Gallery in Makati Metropolis at a 2018 public sale for P46.72 million.
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88-year previous Amorsolo portray stolen from NegOcc museum
“I don’t care concerning the costs of the work,” stated Rene Hofileña, the museum’s administrator and brother of deceased artwork collector Ramon Hofileña, who transformed their ancestral house right into a museum in 1962.
“I simply need to hold my promise to my brother to maintain the museum going so the general public can proceed to get pleasure from his artwork assortment,” he stated. “That is the primary time an artwork piece has been stolen from a museum in Silay Metropolis.”
Hofileña stated their safety video recordings confirmed that the portray was stolen by a middle-aged lady and her male companion, probably in cahoots with three different folks, about 10 a.m. on July 3.
The suspects joined a tour of the museum. When it ended, the suspects have been allowed to return to the second ground for the reason that information thought they have been simply going to take footage and he had one other batch of vacationers coming in.
Video footage from the CCTV digicam confirmed that the male companion of the middle-aged lady took the Amorsolo off the wall and put it in her bag, Hofileña stated.
One other couple and their baby have been additionally within the room when the theft occurred.
“They noticed the person take the portray down and put it within the bag of the girl however didn’t say something or tell us what occurred,” Hofileña stated.
All 5, he added, have been carrying face masks.
“All of it occurred inside seconds. The lady with the portray in her bag hurriedly walked out of the museum and down the highway,” Hofileña stated.
“The lady seemed to be distinguished trying. They appeared to be professionals,” he added.
Hofileña stated the thieves should have been observing the museum operations for a while as a result of they knew precisely what to get and when there was just one tour information at work.
Hofileña stated he was touched by the priority and gives of assist from many individuals, particularly from the artwork world, each domestically and nationally, upon studying of the theft.
SAME THEME Photograph reveals Fernando Amorsolo’s 1931 portray “Mango Gatherers” that was bought in 2018 for P46.72 million. An Amorsolo piece of the identical theme, from 1936, went lacking on July 3. —Leon Gallery web site
Necessary artwork piece
Solomon Locsin, Negros Occidental Historic Council chair, requested the general public to assist recuperate “this necessary piece of Philippine artwork.”
He identified that the artwork piece was useful as a result of it was one of many early mature works of Amorsolo who painted it in 1936, shortly after he returned from artwork research abroad and was beginning to acquire fame.
Amorsolo was the primary Nationwide Artist of the Philippines, declared 4 days after his demise in 1972.
“[The robbers] clearly solely got here right here for the Amorsolo,” Hofileña stated.
It was on show with works by different notable Filipino painters, like Juan Luna, Felix Resurrecion Hidalgo, Vicente Manansala, Ang Kiukok, H.R. Ocampo, and Benedicto Cabrera, all a part of his brother’s assortment.
The museum itself was constructed within the Thirties, shortly earlier than Amorsolo painted the stolen paintings, and housed the Hofileña household.
Ramon Hofileña, who died in 2021, transformed the artwork deco home into a non-public museum to show his assortment of round 1,000 artwork works.
He was a person with a ardour for the humanities, tradition and historical past—an professional in his area, former Silay Mayor Mark Golez stated.
“He was concerned in a lifelong marketing campaign to revive and shield our Negrense cultural heritage and promote the humanities,” he added.
The home was declared a heritage home on April 6, 1993, by the Nationwide Historic Institute.
Heritage and artwork teams have begun to stage a social media marketing campaign to search out the stolen Amorsolo, Locsin stated.
Those that could have any info on the lacking portray are urged to name the Silay police at 09985987443 or 09989674432, he stated.
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