{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":56487,"auction_id":110,"set_id":144,"lot_number":"55","artist":"Arturo Luz (1926 - 2021)","title":"Self-Portrait","starting_price":5000000,"signed_dated":"early 1960s","medium":"oil on canvas","size":"31 1/2\" x 26\" (80 cm x 66 cm)","property":"PROPERTY FORMERLY IN THE NATIVIDAD \"NATI\" VALENTIN COLLECTION","coa":null,"provenance":"A gift from the artist to Natividad \"Nati\" Valentin Acquired from the above by the present owner","exhibited":"Ayala Museum, Arturo Luz: First Light, Makati City, 14 February -\n11 June 2017","literature":"Ocampo, Ambeth R. Arturo Luz: First Light. Published in conjunction\nwith the exhibitions \"Arturo Luz: First Light\" at the Ayala Museum and\n\"#Luz@90\" at the Ateneo Art Gallery. Quezon City: Vibal Foundation,\nInc., Ateneo Art Gallery, and the Ayala Foundation, Inc. Full-color\nillustration and painting description on page 34.","write_up":"Pavilion headed by Commissioner Don Luis Araneta.<br /><br />Reyes recounted this whirlwind of a romance: \"In Seattle, Tessie shared an apartment with two other Filipinas, also with the staff. Miles away from home, Luz would be treated to Philippine hospitality: an adobo dinner. [Luz said], \"Literally, it was the first time Tessie and I had gotten to talk. Before that, in Manila, we never exchanged more than five words.\"<br /><br />Reyes continued, \"Tessie's plan was to see the world, so she was saving up her money.\" Luz invited Tessie to New York, where, for a month, they visited museums, exhibitions, and galleries. When it was time for Luz to go to Rome under another travel grant from the Italian government, he insisted that Tessie tag along with him. Luz and Tessie's romantic rendezvous was a rollercoaster of lightning and vehement emotions, and they married each other in Rome after only three months.<br /><br />When Nati returned to the Philippines, she was devastated to hear that Luz and Tessie had already been engaged, primed and prepared for their Roman wedding. Nati became the casualty of an unfortunate relationship—two star-crossed lovers chasing their dreams and building their careers and lives together. Sadly, the other could not handle the long-distance relationship and immediately longed for romantic solace. Overwhelmingly heartbroken, Nati attempted to remove all vestiges of Arturo from her life, with this self-portrait being the first casualty of her emotional cleansing. Nati first asked one of her closest friends in her Manila Times circle, who is also the current owner's mother. To help Nati in her \"moving on\" stage, her close friend accepted the painting and hid it in the basement of her house. It was never displayed—not even once—and was left to collect dust, sort of a metaphor for Nati burying her painful misery. The current owner still remembers what Nati insisted on to his mom. With an agonizing voice, Nati exclaimed, \"You have to hide it, get rid of it! I don't want to ever see this again! It caused me a heartbreak!\"<br /><br />The current owner said, \"So many people had asked to display this painting before, but my mom refused because of the heartbreaking story.\"<br /><br />Luckily, Luz's Self-Portrait was showcased to the public, for the very first time, at the First Light exhibition at the Ayala Museum. Luz had discovered the whereabouts of his painting through the owner's mother, who was close to Rosario \"Charing\" Luz, Arturo's mother. \"My Mama was very close to the Luz family,\" said the owner. \"Luz's mom, Rosario, designed our ancestral house and furnished it with paintings from the Luz Gallery. She also commissioned Tito Alfredo, Arturo's brother, as our furniture designer before he emigrated to Canada after a successful architectural career. Basically, my Mama always confided in Tita Charing as she was in our house for remodeling over many years.\"<br /><br />It was then and there that Luz knew that his self-portrait had always been alive, even after decades had passed. Luz personally requested that his self-portrait be publicly shown at the Ayala Museum, where it hung on its own wall. \"Luz wasn't in love anymore with Nati,\" the owner said. \"He just chose the painting as part of his greatest works of art.\"","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":null,"alias":null,"hp":13000000,"bp":0.2016,"isWithdrawn":0,"accounting_hp":13000000,"userBid":5926,"isPaid":0,"userId":22,"lot_status":"SOLD","isDone":1,"bid_history_id":null,"reserve_price":null,"hammer_price":15620800,"fav":0},"image":[{"id":60268,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/110/144/lot/55.jpg","isFeatured":1},{"id":60672,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/110/144/lot/55a.jpg","isFeatured":0},{"id":60671,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/110/144/lot/55b.jpg","isFeatured":0}]},"increment":[11000000,12000000,13000000,14000000,15000000,16000000,17000000,18000000,19000000,20000000],"prev":54,"next":56,"count_bid":0,"bid_history":[],"tokenExpired":1}