Ang Kiukok

Ang Kiukok was a renowned Filipino Expressionist whose colorful and striking paintings portrayed a variety of cubist-like figures such as a mother embracing her infant, grisly crucifixions, tables holding an array of fish and fruit, stray dogs, and screaming subjects.

Kiukok studied art at Manila’s University of Santo Tomas in 1952. There, he met his good friend and mentor National Artist for Painting (1981) Vicente Manansala, whom he assisted in the completion of the Stations of the Cross for the Church of the Holy Sacrifice in the University of the Philippines Diliman. He was a prominent figure in the local art scene during the Marcos era, with his art reflecting the ill emotions of the socio-political landscape. He has won numerous awards from the Art Association of the Philippines and his work has been widely exhibited locally and internationally. Before his passing in 2005, he was conferred National Artist for Visual Arts in 2001 by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.