On October 25, the UP Jorge B. Vargas Museum & Filipiniana Research Center opened “Tangláw: The University of the Philippines’ National Artists for Visual Arts” at its Kawilihan Gallery as part of its continuing contribution to the University’s Centenary and the Intellectual Property Rights Week.
As the country’s premier institution for higher learning, the UP takes pride in having nine alumni among the fourteen visual artists who have been elevated to the Order of National Artists since 1972. These distinguished artists are Fernando C. Amorsolo (Painting 1972), Guillermo E. Tolentino (Sculpture 1973), Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco (Painting 1973), Napoleon V. Abueva (Sculpture 1976), Vicente S. Manansala (Painting 1981), Cesar T. Legaspi (Painting 1990), Jose T. Joya (Painting 2003), Benedicto “Bencab” Cabrera (Painting 2006), and Abdulmari Asia Imao (Sculpture 2006).