Accompanied by a certificate issued by Ms. Luisa Luz-Lansigan confirming the authenticity of this lot

ABOUT THE WORK

The 1990s was an era of exploration and new beginnings for Arturo Luz, a period of rekindling his passion for the arts. Following his departure from his burdening bureaucratic posts, Luz ventured into a rejuvenating journey across Asia. He marveled at the sight of astonishing architecture: majestic temples, complexes, palaces, and sacred royal tombs, all of which prompted him to create his Cities of the Past series. Arturo Luz experimented with different styles, mediums, and periods throughout his artistic career, producing exciting and varied art pieces. However, one can identify a Luz piece by its minimalist, simplistic composition of white-outlined linear objects filled with or backgrounded with blacks and reds. Box and Shells No. 1 is a product of Luz’s artistic rediscovery and reimagining. It features three shells and two boxes sitting atop one another, with a singular shell inside the top box, all placed on a table. Luz’s use of white lines accentuates and separates the objects from the background of a red wall and black table. Despite his inclination to minimalism, Luz is a master of creating linear figures to complement bare spaces, making his works alive. “His sense of form is alive and distinguished: he knows abstraction and austerity, the sense of space and balance, he distorts with institutional rightness and grace — in other words, he is a real artist.” — Jose Garcia Villa, National Artist for Literature, on Luz’s prize winning work at the 5th Art Association of the Philippines’ annual art exhibition in 1952. (Jessica Magno)