Nearly 100 works by modernist painter and printmaker Juvenal Sansó comes together at the National Museum of Fine Arts for SANSÓ: Pusong Pilipino, a major exhibition tracing more than seven decades of creativity.
Presented by Fundacion Sansó, the exhibition looks at the master’s life and artistic journey through his enduring relationship with the Philippines—the adopted home that shaped his identity, imagination, and legacy.
“Rather than focusing solely on chronology, the exhibition examines the many ways in which Sansó’s artistic identity was shaped by the country he ultimately chose as home, and why he entrusted both his collection and his advocacies to the Filipino people through Fundacion Sansó,” explains exhibition curator and Fundacion Sansó Director Ricky Francisco.
A Long-Awaited Exhibition at the National Museum
The idea for SANSÓ: Pusong Pilipino emerged shortly after the artist’s passing. Its development began with a question that guided the collaboration between Fundacion Sansó and the National Museum of the Philippines.
“It began with a simple, but important question: What is the legacy of Juvenal Sansó and why does it matter today?” Francisco recalls.
Throughout a practice spanning well over 70 years, Sansó formed lasting connections with Filipino audiences, institutions, collectors, students, scholars, and fellow artists. His works became part of the country’s cultural memory, while Fundacion Sansó in San Juan provided a lasting platform for preserving his legacy and nurturing succeeding generations of Filipino artists.
Francisco and National Museum Director-General Jeremy Barns, both observed and agree, “Despite Sansó’s immense contributions to Philippine art, he had never been the subject of a solo exhibition at the National Museum.”
Fundacion Sansó has mounted several exhibitions celebrating the artist and his contributions to Philippine modern art, but presenting his work at the country’s foremost institution for preserving and presenting Philippine artistic heritage holds particular meaning.
“This collaboration with the National Museum of the Philippines carries a particular significance. As the country’s foremost institution for preserving and presenting Philippine artistic heritage, it was the ideal partner for a project of this scale and importance. It represents a definitive recognition of Sansó’s contributions to Philippine art, and affirms his place within the nation’s cultural narrative. It allows Sansó’s work to be viewed within a broader national context, inviting visitors to reflect not only on his achievements as an artist, but also on larger questions of identity, belonging, memory, and cultural contribution that defined both his life and his work,” Francisco states.
Nearly 100 Works Across More Than 70 Years
SANSÓ: Pusong Pilipino gathers nearly 100 works representing the many stages of the artist’s creative expression. The selection begins with pieces from the 1940s, when Sansó was still a student, and extends to his last works from the late 2000s, known as the Moderno Series.
Sanso, Larry Alcala, Ben Osoro, Roddy Ragodon; Sanso and a classmate with the UP Library in the background
“Particularly significant are works that illuminate his relationship with the Philippines and reveal the experiences, memories, and places that continued to inspire him throughout his life,” Francisco shares.
Among the works on view are rare and previously unseen pieces, including Sansó’s earliest landscape paintings from his years at the UP School of Fine Arts. His Baklad (Fishtrap) series, considered an earlier Philippine precursor to his celebrated Brittany series, is also part of the exhibition.
Francisco narrates, “Visitors will encounter important examples from his early figurative period, works produced during and after his years in Europe, celebrated landscapes and seascapes, floral compositions, prints, collagraphs, and later paintings that demonstrate the evolution of his artistic vision."
The exhibition captures the breadth and dynamism of Sansó’s visual language, presenting an artist “who moved seamlessly between painting, printmaking, textile design, fashion illustration, and costume design.”
Francisco continues,“It also revisits periods and bodies of work that have received less scholarly attention than some of his best-known paintings.”
Bringing Together an Extensive Artistic Record
Preparing SANSÓ: Pusong Pilipino involved a close study of the foundation’s extensive archives, along with the careful selection of works from six private collections.
“Preparation for the exhibition involved months of reviewing archival records, publications, photographs, correspondence, exhibition histories, and artworks. The process was further informed by decades of scholarship on Sansó and by the foundation’s continuing efforts to document, preserve, and interpret his legacy,” Francisco shares.
Together, these materials and artworks present the development of Sansó’s artistic vision while illuminating the memories, places, and experiences that remained closely connected to the Philippines.
An Artistic Identity Shaped by the Philippines
Sansó was born in Spain, but his consciousness and identity as an artist were shaped by his life in the Philippines. He travelled extensively and achieved international acclaim throughout Europe, yet continued to return to the country he had chosen as his home.
Some of his most recognizable works transport viewers to places such as Paris and Brittany, but their creative expression remained informed by his life in the archipelago. Across scenes of urban life, landscapes and seascapes, floral compositions, and geometric forms, his visual worlds exist between memory and imagination.
Francisco elaborates, “One of the exhibition’s most significant revelations is the extent to which the Philippines remained central to Sansó’s imagination throughout his life. The exhibition demonstrates that many of the emotional, psychological, and visual foundations of his work can be traced back to experiences formed in the Philippines."
Beyond a retrospective, SANSÓ: Pusong Pilipino reveals the depth of the artist’s relationship with his adopted country.
“Visitors move through a narrative that begins with his formative experiences in Manila, examines the emotional and artistic consequences of war and displacement, follows his international journey, and ultimately arrives at his return to the country and the establishment of his enduring legacy.”
A Legacy Entrusted to Future Generations
Sansó returned to Manila permanently in 2008. In the years that followed, he worked to ensure that his life’s work would remain accessible to future generations of Filipinos.
“In the years that followed, he devoted considerable energy toward ensuring that his life’s work would remain accessible to future generations of Filipinos. This commitment culminated in the establishment of Fundacion Sansó, which he entrusted with preserving his artistic legacy while continuing his advocacies in arts education, scholarships, grants, and public access to culture,” Francisco narrates.
Established by the artist, Fundacion Sansó preserves his archives, library, collections, and documentary materials. It also authenticates artworks and organizes exhibitions and educational programs that introduce Sansó’s life and work to a wider audience. The foundation works closely with the artist’s estate and continues to follow the vision he articulated during his lifetime.
Its work also extends beyond conservation. Through its programs, Fundacion Sansó sustains the advocacies begun by the artist. These include the Fine Arts Student Stipend Program, the Art + Design = Empowerment (ADE) Special Exhibition Program, and Scholarship Cafe.
The foundation also empowers artists’ family members through projects such as the Initiative for the Continuation of Artist’s Estate (I CAre) Program.
“Since 2018, its scholarships, grants, and cultural development programs have assisted dozens of young artists, students, and cultural workers. The foundation has also provided travel grants, curatorial grants, and professional development opportunities while maintaining free public access to its museum and exhibitions,” Francisco states.
The Story of a Filipino Heart
SANSÓ: Pusong Pilipino presents the story of an artist whose work was profoundly shaped by the Philippines. Across more than seven decades of artistic expression, it reveals how his adopted home remained central to his creativity—and how his commitment to the country lives on through the foundation bearing his name.
According to Francisco: “It is a tribute to the affection, loyalty, and sense of responsibility that defined his relationship with the Philippines. It is a reflection on legacy—not simply what Sansó left behind as an artist, but what he entrusted to future generations through the foundation that bears his name.
A Lasting Gift to the Filipino People
On August 26, 2026, Fundacion Sansó and collectors Jack Teotico, Mohammad Ronaghi, Marlon Basilio, and Eliot Maguan formally donated six works by Sansó to the National Museum of the Philippines. The donation comprised "Nicole" (1959), "Lueurs" (1961), "Of Understated Grace" (circa 1980s), "Of Friendship and Devotion" (circa 1990s), "Flower Market" (Fundacion Sansó Inaugural Restrike, 2015), and "Eve" (Fundacion Sansó Inaugural Restrike, 2015), representing different periods, media, and aspects of the artist’s long career.
Fundacion Sansó's other donations include catalogues, books, posters, exhibition invitations, and archival materials documenting Sansó’s exhibitions abroad from the 1960s through the 1980s. Formally received by National Museum Board of Trustees Chairperson Andoni M. Aboitiz, Director-General Jeremy Barns, and a representative of the National Museum of Fine Arts, the artworks and materials enter a national collection held in trust for the Filipino people and become available for future study, scholarship, exhibitions, and education.
SANSÓ: Pusong Pilipino will be on exhibition at the Gallery XV E. Aguilar Cruz Hall of National Museum of Fine Arts until February 2027. The museum is open on Tuesday-Sunday, 9 AM to 6PM. Admission is free. For updates visit fundacionsanso.ph or follow @fundacion_sanso on Instagram.