Untitled
signed and dated 1997 (lower right)
oil on canvas
40" x 31 1/2" (102 cm x 80 cm)

León Gallery wishes to thank the artist for confirming the authenticity of this lot
PROVENANCE: Acquired directly from the artist



WRITE UP:
Augusto "Gus" Albor has cemented his place as a stalwart of the Philippine art scene. Throughout his illustrious career, Albor mounted almost yearly shows and created an impressive body of work that is distinctive for its minimal color registers, subtle details, and sensual musicality. It was in 1997, around the time of his show at the Finale Art File and West Galleries, that he created the lot in hand. An abstraction in its purest form, Albor holds precise control over the canvas with his accurate brushstrokes and restrained color schemes, utilizing overlays and underlays to imitate an effect of translucence and a pop of color. Minimalist as his works may be, his oeuvre is built on a painstaking foundation. “To achieve that Zen-like level of minimalism in one’s work, a maximalist work ethos is required,” Igan D’Bayan wrote in a Philstar article. Albor’s works undergo a process of distillation, of sifting through what is necessary to what isn’t and tirelessly pursuing it. Being simple, as The Crucible Gallery’s Sari Ortiga said, is so complicated, and Albor’s works are veritable proof of that. (Hannah Valiente)