Cover The scenography of the exhibition ‘Fernando Zóbel: Order is Essential’ follows the aesthetics of the acclaimed modernist and scholar—lines that bridge the classical and the modern, the past and the future, the local and the global (Photo: courtesy of National Gallery Singapore)
The scenography of the exhibition ‘Fernando Zóbel: Order is Essential’ follows the aesthetics of the acclaimed modernist and scholar—lines that bridge the classical and the modern, the past and the future, the local and the global (Photo: courtesy of National Gallery Singapore)
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Expanding the exhibition ‘Zóbel: The Future of the Past’ at Museo Nacional del Prado (2022) in Spain and at the Ayala Museum (2024) in the Philippines, this show brings to light the movements of the cosmopolitan and transcontinental modernist by featuring his works and those of his contemporaries
Filipino modernist Fernando Zóbel was a celebrated artist, educator, collector and scholar in his period for Asia, Europe and North America. He has long held a spot in art history for his flourishing career while the world was slowly breaking out from the conservative school of visual arts.
National Gallery Singapore (NGS), celebrating its 10th anniversary, invited Tatler and some personalities in the art community to the unveiling of Fernando Zóbel: Order is Essential at the Wu Guanzhong Gallery and Level 4 Gallery. The exhibition runs until November 30, 2025, showcasing Zóbel’s artworks, authored writings, sketchbooks, photographs and insights on his life and lasting impact on the art world, supported by his contemporaries’ selected works.
Read more: Museo Nacional del Prado earns rave reviews for its Fernando Zóbel retrospective exhibition
Above Museo Nacional del Prado’s angle for the Zóbel retrospective focused on his admiration and enduring conversations with the works of the Old Masters. Also on view at the National Gallery Singapore is the original ‘Allegory of Chastity’ (circa 1505) by Lorenzo Lotto juxtaposed with Zóbel’s ‘El sueño de la Doncella (II). Conversación con Lorenzo Lotto [The Dream of the Damsel (II). Conversation with Lorenzo Lotto]’ (1968) (Photo: courtesy of National Gallery Singapore)
Museo Nacional del Prado’s angle for the Zóbel retrospective focused on his admiration and enduring conversations with the works of the Old Masters. Also on view at the National Gallery Singapore is the original ‘Allegory of Chastity’ (circa 1505) by Lorenzo Lotto juxtaposed with Zóbel’s ‘El sueño de la Doncella (II). Conversación con Lorenzo Lotto [The Dream of the Damsel (II). Conversation with Lorenzo Lotto]’ (1968) (Photo: courtesy of National Gallery Singapore)
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Curated by NGS’s Chief Curator Patrick Flores and Curator Clarissa Chikiamco, together with previous iterations’ curators Manuel Fontán del Junco and Felipe Pereda, the exhibition Fernando Zóbel: Order is Essential features over 200 pieces, including paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and archival materials. Similar to the Zóbel exhibitions mounted recently, the NGS show offers fresh insights into the artist’s other personas—a patron, collector and scholar—and how he bridged cultural contexts and enriched global dialogues on modern art.
“Through this exhibition, we want to highlight the depth of investment in the art world Zóbel offered in his lifetime,” Flores shares with Tatler. “Some people know him as an artist, but not all would know that he was a patron, teacher, scholar, a museum-maker. In fact, he built two museums, one in Cuenca and one in Manila. So I think that idea of him being a Renaissance man, a man of broad sympathies... this exhibition will introduce people to Zóbel’s commitment in the art world—that being an artist is not just about creating works of art but encompasses so much more.”
Above National Gallery Singapore gathers selected works of Zóbel’s contemporaries in the Philippines, the US, and Spain, three locations that were integral to his artistic journey. In the photo (from left) are Franz Kline’s untitled 1950 work and Mark Rothko’s ‘Multiform’ (1948) (Photo: courtesy of National Gallery Singapore)
National Gallery Singapore gathers selected works of Zóbel’s contemporaries in the Philippines, the US, and Spain, three locations that were integral to his artistic journey. In the photo (from left) are Franz Kline’s untitled 1950 work and Mark Rothko’s ‘Multiform’ (1948) (Photo: courtesy of National Gallery Singapore)
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Zóbel, born in the Philippines to a prominent Spanish family, earned the reputation of being transcontinental and cosmopolitan for being well-travelled and greatly immersed in artistic communities across the globe. He studied literature at Harvard University, taking a particular interest in Federico García Lorca’s works, and was incredibly drawn to the visual arts. In 1951, he returned to Manila and sought to identify the hallmark features of “Filipino artistic expression” by focusing his research and study on the history of colonial art in the Philippines. In 1960, he donated his collection to Ateneo de Manila University, creating the Ateneo Art Gallery, the country’s first contemporary art museum, and published his book Philippine Religious Imagery in 1963. It was a period in the Philippines teeming with great potential for the flourishing of abstract art. And yet, Zóbel was determined to pay homage to the works of the Old Masters and trace Philippine histories of art to pave the way for what was contemporary in his time.
Besides the Ateneo Art Gallery in Manila, he also built Museo de Arte Abstracto Español in Cuenca, Spain, to support and promote the Spanish art scene’s movement towards modernist expressions. These trajectories in his artistic career (in the Philippines, the United States and Spain) inspired the NGS’s exhibition curators to situate Zóbel amid three artistic communities by showcasing alongside his works the various pieces from his contemporaries.
Above Serving as a prologue into the exhibition is a juxtaposition of Zóbel’s works: (left) his 1946 recreation of Vincent van Gogh’s 1889 oil on canvas painting ‘A Wheatfield with Cypresses’ and (right) his very own ‘El Puente [The Bridge]’, an oil and pastel on canvas work (Photo: courtesy of National Gallery Singapore)
Serving as a prologue into the exhibition is a juxtaposition of Zóbel’s works: (left) his 1946 recreation of Vincent van Gogh’s 1889 oil on canvas painting ‘A Wheatfield with Cypresses’ and (right) his very own ‘El Puente [The Bridge]’, an oil and pastel on canvas work (Photo: courtesy of National Gallery Singapore)
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At its core, Fernando Zóbel: Order is Essential emphasises the modernist’s dedication to establishing order, precision and logic in the arts that, in his time, was starting to veer away from classical aesthetics and standards of sublimity. With his El Puente welcoming visitors to the galleries, the piece alludes to the artist’s contribution to the arts, paying homage to the past while carving the path for a new and experimental future.
“With this exhibition, we also want to explore the geographical links of Zóbel,” continues Flores. “Not only tracing his itineraries but showing varied works that emerge from different geographies to provide a more robust picture of his artistry, a fuller appreciation of what he has done and what shaped him as a cosmopolitan, transcontinental and interlocal artist.”
Guests marvel at the works of Fernando Zóbel (Photo: courtesy of National Gallery Singapore)
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Divided into a prologue area that welcomes guests and four sections that map out Zóbel’s contributions and immersions in the Philippine, North American and Spanish modernist art scenes, the exhibition follows the artist’s design philosophy as a poetic element in its scenography—jutted lines, juxtapositions of a masterpiece’s various iterations, his striking colour palette and more.
Included in the exhibition are selected works of his contemporaries in various modernist scenes he played a role in like Mark Rothko, Alfonso Ossorio, David Medalla and Manolo Millares, to name a few.
Above Exhibition curators Clarissa Chikiamco and Patrick Flores standing before Fernando Zóbel’s iconic 1961 oil on canvas work, ‘La Visión’ (Photo: courtesy of National Gallery Singapore)
Exhibition curators Clarissa Chikiamco and Patrick Flores standing before Fernando Zóbel’s iconic 1961 oil on canvas work, ‘La Visión’ (Photo: courtesy of National Gallery Singapore)
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Asked which particular works the curators thought as pivotal among the collection that helped them shape the exhibition, they agreed that the Saeta series did, as this period played a crucial role in the shaping of Zóbel’s artistic identity. The Saeta series is also distinct to NGS’s iteration.
In the exhibition, Zóbel’s actual syringe for ink and paint hangs at the centre of his two Saeta works.
The exhibit caps off with a photo of Zóbel dancing, juxtaposed with a Saeta-inspired mind map chronicling the artist’s connections with artists across continents.
Above National Gallery Singapore CEO and Director Eugene Tan welcomes guests to the opening of ‘Fernando Zóbel: Order is Essential’ (Photo: courtesy of National Gallery Singapore)
National Gallery Singapore CEO and Director Eugene Tan welcomes guests to the opening of ‘Fernando Zóbel: Order is Essential’ (Photo: courtesy of National Gallery Singapore)
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“At the National Gallery Singapore, we remain committed to presenting exhibitions that reconsider and expand narratives on modernism from a global perspective. Fernando Zóbel’s work exemplifies this vision,” says Eugene Tan, National Gallery Singapore CEO and Director.
“As you can see through this exhibition, his life and work defy geographical boundaries... I invite you to reflect on the depth, sensitivity and excellence of Fernando Zóbel,” Tan concludes.
For more information on the exhibition, visit nationalgallery.sg/Zobel
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Before assuming the Art and Culture Editor position, Franz has always had a penchant for visual and performing arts. He is passionate about exploring and writing about the local cultural scene and rediscovering the country’s storied past and rich heritage. Besides working on this luxury lifestyle magazine, Franz is an avid book reader, local traveller, museum-goer, chorister, and community theatre playwright.
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Franz earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Santo Tomas. He writes about local visual and performing artists and their craft; drinks wines, liquors, and spirits and talks about the creativity of their respective winemakers and master blenders; tries to learn more about business and investments; respects the tradition and artistry that go behind the making of watches and jewellery; and appreciates the genius of architecture and creative design.
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