The Filipino contemporary artist, Benedicto Reyes Cabrera, better known as BenCab, is
considered by many as the leading painter of his generation, both in terms of the artistic
merit of his works and their universal appreciation. His paintings, drawings and fine
prints have been the most sought-after by Filipino and Asian collectors, making them
instant best-sellers in art exhibitions. He has also been named National Artist of the
BenCab was born in 1942, studied Fine Arts in the University of the Philippines, had
worked as a magazine illustrator and lay-out artist, and had dabbled in photography
before going into full-time painting in the late 1960s. His first one-man show of oil and
acrylic paintings at the Indigo Gallery in Mabini St. in Manila introduced the character of
“Sabel”, a subject that would recur in his body of works. BenCab rose rapidly in the art
world shortly after this, traveled to several countries, and married the English writer
prints in antiquarian London bookshops led him to create his Larawan series of sepia-
toned interpretations of past images that were also a social commentary on current
issues. BenCab’s art exhibitions both locally and abroad have been consistenty
successful. He resettled in the Philippines in 1986 and helped established the Baguio
BenCab has acknowledged that he was lucky to be in the right place at the right time,
and that his paintings happen to be sellable to people who are willing to pay for them.[2]
This may be due to his works’ unconscious narrative quality and social commentary,
understandability on its own terms and of course, visual impact. BenCab has pioneered
in transforming past and common societal images into a wider social context that make
people immediately conscious of their existence. He achieves this through his unique
sense of composition and superb draftsmanship that makes the final result appear
timeless and memorable. BenCab tackled subjects like the Philippine-American
war, the impact of the American occupation and the discontent of 20th century Filipino
migrants, in which he showed that things change in form but remain the same in
substance. The painter has continuously explored the themes of servitude, exile and
disillusionment in the Filipino psyche.[3] In this sense, he has paved the way for younger
artists like Dominic Rubio and Alfredo Esquillo who are trying to transcribe images from
Philippine history and relate their relevance to current times.
Another remarkable quality of BenCab is his continuing evolution as a visual creator,
his capacity to transform and develop early material and his venturing into other
mediums of expression.
He had been inspired by a homeless woman scavenger called Sabel, who wore flimsy
clothes that flowed in the wind as she roamed in the streets, in his paintings from the
1960s. However, the subject has persisted in the artist’s memory over the years and is
presently interpreted in a more abstract manner. These works in turn have led to a
series of mono-print woodblocks of figures similar to Japanese geishas that are bolder
in color than is usual with him. In the same vein, his Larawan series of acrylic paintings
derived from old colonial prints have been extended into mono-print etchings that
comment on the traditional Filipina’s temptation to the Western influence.[4] BenCab has
likewise ventured into computer-generated artworks, which he regards as another
artistic form, has shown interest in paper-pulp painting and plans to go into
metal sculpture.
BenCab has also established the BenCab Museum where he has exhibited not only his
own collection, but also the works of other established Filipino artists like Araceli
Limcaco Dans and Juvenal Sanso, as well as native Baguio folk arts.[5]
BenCab’s greatness lies in the felt relevance of his works and their ability to speak
to an entire younger generation of people who can appreciate art, and to an
international audience, in a manner not yet achieved by other artists.
[2] Eric S. Caruncho, “BenCab: A portrait of the National Artist as a mellow dude”, Inquirer.net, 8 June 2006, [accessed 18 May 2011]
[3] Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop, “A Filipino painter’s ‘soul in images’”, The New York Times,
[accessed 18 May 2011]
[5] Kristine Servando, “Art Adventures at the BenCab Museum”, ABS-CBN news.com, 2009,
[accessed 18 May 2011]
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