Frederico Aguilar Alcuaz (June 6, 1932 – February 2, 2011)Flores, Helen. "Painter Alcuaz, 78". in The Philippine Star. February 03, 2011 was a Filipino

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

who exhibited extensively Internationally and whose work earned him recognition both in the Philippines and abroad. Alcuaz was conferred the title of

National Artist National Artist is an honorary title issued by some states as a highest recognition of artists for their significant contributions to the cultural heritage of the nation. An equivalent title, People's Artist, has been known in countries of the f ...

for Visual Arts, Painting, Sculpture and Mixed Media in 2009. However, four nominees for the award other than Alcuaz became embroiled in the 2009 National Artist of the Philippines Controversy, which led the

Supreme Court of the Philippines The Supreme Court ( fil, Kataas-taasang Hukuman; colloquially referred to as the ''Korte Suprema'' lso used in formal writing is the highest court in the Philippines. The Supreme Court was established by the Second Philippine Commission on J ...

to temporarily issue a status quo order on August 25, 2009, blocking the conferment of the awards on all seven nominees - despite the fact that no objections were ever raised regarding the conferment of the award to Alcuaz and two other nominees.

Education and personal life

Federico Aguilar Alcuaz was born on June 6, 1932 in

Santa Cruz, Manila Santa Cruz is a district in the northern part of the City of Manila, Philippines, located on the right bank of the Pasig River near its mouth, bordered by the districts of Tondo, Binondo, Quiapo, and Sampaloc, as well as the areas of Grace ...

. He was the 6th of 11 Children of ''Mariano Aguilar'' a Lawyer and a Musician and ''Encarnacion Alcuaz''. He finished early schooling at the ''Dr. Albert Elementary School'' and '' San Beda High School.'' He studied law at the Ateneo de Manila and finished his degree in 1955. In 1949–1950 he took up painting subjects at the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 20 ...

(UP) School of Fine Arts. In 1955 he went to

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

with a scholarship at the Academia de San Fernando which he got through the help of the

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

from the Ateneo de Manila. In 1956 he chose

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

as his career base. He also became a member of the La Punalada Group which counted among its members Tàpies, Cuixart and Tharrats. In the same year he began signing his paintings with Aguilar Alcuaz to distinguish himself from two other Aguilars who are also members of the La Punalada Group. In 1959, he met Ute Schmitz, whom he married 3 years later and they had 3 sons. He died on February 2, 2011, in Manila, Philippines due to natural causes.

Awards

*1st Prize, UPCFA Art Competition, 1953 *1ST Prize, ''Roadside Squatters'', 4th SNSAC Modern Painting Category, 1954 *1st Prize, Montcada Award Barcelona, 1957 *Francisco Goya Award, Cercle Maillol Barcelona, 1958 *Republic Cultural Heritage Award, 1965 *2nd Prize Prix Vancell, 4th Biennial of Terrassa (Barcelona Spain),1959

Exhibitions (Philippines)

*Solo Exhibition,

San Beda College es, Universidad de San Beda , image = San Beda University seal.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = University Seal , latin_name = Universitas Sancti Bedæ , former_names ...

, 1953 *Solo Exhibition, Centro Escolar University, 1954 *Solo Exhibition, PAG, 1955

Exhibitions (international)

*Solo Exhibition, Museum of Contemporary Art, Madrid, 1956 *Solo Exhibition, Galerias Layetanas Barcelona, 1956 *Solo Exhibition, Galerias Manila Barcelona, 1956 *Solo Exhibition, Hispanic Cultural Hall Madrid, 1957 *Solo Exhibition, Galerias Layetanas Barcelona, 1957 *Solo Exhibition, Galeria Dintel, 1957 *Solo Exhibition, Galeria Dintel, 1958 *Exhibited at the Gallery of the City Hall of Burgos Spain, 1958 *Solo Exhibition, Asociacion Artistica Vizcaina Bilbao, 1959 *Solo Exhibition, Galeria Ilescas Bilbao, 1959 *Solo Exhibition, Galeria Ilescas Bilbao, 1960 *Solo Exhibition, Sala Vayreda Barcelona, 1960 *Solo Exhibition, Galeria Ilescas Bilbao, 1962 *Solo Exhibition, Galeria Ilescas Bilbao, 1972 *Solo Exhibition, Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao (tapices), 1973 *Solo Exhibition, Eindhoven (tapestries), 1973 (2)

References

#Duldulao, Manuel D. "Twentieth Century Filipino Artists" Legacy Publishers, Quezon City. 1995. #Muñoz Viñarás, Laureano. "Aguilar Alcuaz. Wandtapitjen", De Zormerwijzer, Eidhoven, 1973. {{DEFAULTSORT:Alcuaz, Federico Aguilar 1932 births 2011 deaths Ateneo de Manila University alumni People from Santa Cruz, Manila 21st-century Filipino painters Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Merit (Philippines)