Juvenal Sansó, one of the most respected and remarkable talents in Philippine modern art, has passed away at the age of 95.
The Philippine art world is mourning the loss of a distinctive voice with the recent passing of Juvenal Sansó. The Spanish-born Philippine artist passed away on March 28, 2025, and is survived by his niece Carmen Montes.
While Sansó wasn’t born in the country, the archipelago became his home amid the civil unrest of early 1930s Spain. Fans of his work will remember him for his recognizable masterpieces, most especially his surreal landscape works that pair intricate, organic linework with splashes of vibrant colors.
Although Sansó didn’t see himself as a major art figure, his art served as an outlet of self-expression, reflecting his life’s triumphs and tragedies in a slow, winding narrative. Art historian Rodolfo Paras-Perez once described his works as “an intimate, private confession,” where the viewer is “an intrusive eavesdropper” on Sansó’s “solitary voyage to the self.”
READ ALSO: Remembering Chef Margarita Forés, Who Changed Our Culinary Landscape
A Storied Artistic Life
Born in Reus, Spain, on November 23, 1929, Sansó and his family emigrated to the Philippines in 1934 and settled in Manila. After surviving the horrors of World War II, Sansó studied painting under Alejandro Celis at the age of 17, and took up Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines where he was taught by National Artists Fernando Amorsolo and Guillermo Tolentino, as well as Irineo Miranda (known as the “Dean of Philippine Cartoonists”).
The young artist would eventually be represented in prestigious museums and institutions both within and outside of the country, with exhibitions in Paris, Rome, and London. His one-man shows include a 25th-year retrospective at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). In the late 1980s, he was also featured in six exhibitions held at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Alliance Française de Manille, Finale Art File, Ayala Museum, the Lopez Museum and Library, and the Centro Cultural de España.
Sansó’s career reached its peak with important state recognitions, including the Presidential Medal of Merit from the Republic of the Philippines in 2006; the Distinguished King’s Cross of Isabela by King Juan Carlos I of Spain in 2007; and the conferment of the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Republic of France in 2008.
Preserving Artistic Legacies And Fostering New Talents
Sansó’s artistic legacy continues through his art and Fundacion Sansó, which he co-founded in San Juan City. In his twilight years, the artist expressed his desire to create an institution that would not only house and preserve his contributions, but also promote and support today’s contemporary artists.
Established in 2014, the non-profit foundation also serves as an archive and library, and has expanded its programs to include advocacy projects, the Fundacion Sansó Fine Arts Student Stipend Program, Art + Design = Empowerment, and public talks that have pivoted online in the New Normal.
While Sansó is no longer with us, his legacy will endure. His art will undoubtedly continue to inspire generations of artists and art appreciators for years to come, especially through the foundation he, along with his collaborators, worked so hard to build and grow.
Photos courtesy of IMPRINT Media Group and Fundacion Sansó.
