It was days after the Liberation of Manila and just months after classes were restored at the Ateneo Padre Faura campus I was enrolled in the high school department in 1946. Fred was friendly but our meeting was so short I had forgotten other features of our meeting. Then I learned that Fred was pursuing a law degree at the Ateneo and finished it.
But he really had another passion – art. So, he cross enrolled at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts. But Fred was short of funds. Happily for Fred the Jesuits at Ateneo already knew of his latent artistic talent even while still in his law classes so they offered Fred a large room for his workshop plus a monthly allowance of P20.00 for materials. But the Jesuits continued in their effort to get Fred a full scholarship. The Jesuits successfully obtained for Fred a fellowship at the Academia de San Fernando in Madrid through the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
For twenty-five years he lived in Europe, struggling while living and learning in Barcelona until he made a name for himself. In his 55-year art career, Alcuaz is one of the most awarded and acclaimed Filipino as well as non Filipino artists internationally. Fred’s fame has spread through art exhibits held at leading galleries in the Philippines, Spain, Portugal, Singapore, United States, Germany and Poland.
Fred Alcuaz learned to speak English, German French and Spanish fluently while winning numerous awards including First prize at the Premio Moncada (1957) Prix Francisco Goya (1958) in Barcelona. In 1961, in Paris, Fred was honored with the Diploma of Honor at the International Exhibition of Art Libre the Decoration of Arts, Letters and Sciences award from the French government in 1964 and the Order of French Genius in 1964.
In 1982 Federico “Fred” Aguilar Alcuaz who turned 50 decided to hold an exhibit of 50 paintings with the proviso that the entire proceeds from the sale of his works he would donate to the Ateneo Endowment Fund. He added that when he was just a struggling and budding young art student Ateneo took a chance on him by supporting him by getting him a scholarship in Europe for further studies in art and sculpture.
In 2006 Fred was extremely proud when he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Merit by the President of the Philippines.
Among the art works that Fred Alcuaz donated to his beloved alma mater the Ateneo Law School Class 1955, included oils paintings, watercolors, and tapestries as well as landscapes and abstracts.. The collection also consisted of nudes and pretty Filipino ladies dressed in turn-of-the-century ruffled gowns, The art pieces were placed on exhibit at the Manila Hotel from June 4 to 7, 1982 with a formal opening, cocktails, and viewing by selected guests on June 3rd.
Although he was moving along in age, having turned 78 and would have some lapses in memory, he was still capable of doing three-hour walks daily to visit his favorite sights or explore new ones in the city he so loved.
Fred noticed early enough that the name “Aguilar” was quite a common name in Spain, so he decided that he would be known as Federico Aguilar Alcuaz. As luck would have it, Fred met a winsome German lady named Ute Gisela Schmitz, a business and languages student in Barcelona. Soon the romance blossomed and a few years later they married at the Senora de Nuria Church in Barcelona. The couple produced three children: Christian Michael, the eldest, who for several years has been handling his father’s business affairs, Andreas Frederic and Wolfgang Matthias.
Born in June 6, 1932 in the City of Manila, Alcuaz was the sixth of eleven children and took up his primary and secondary education at public schools.
Federico Aguilar Alcuaz died On February 2, 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment