Fernando Amorsolo’s “Under The Mango Tree” – recently sold during the “Magnificent September Auction 2024” at the world-famous Leon Gallery – has broken the record for the most expensive art piece by the country’s first-ever National Artist.
The news was confirmed by Leon Gallery’s post on its official Facebook page on Saturday, September 14, revealing that the 38 x 38in. oil on canvas piece commanded a total price of 57, 676, 800 (Hammer Price + Buyer’s Premium).
Its starting pricetag was pegged at P18,000,000.
The 1929-signed-and-dated obra, universally regarded as the magnus opus or the greatest masterpiece of the Great Old Man of Philippine Arts, comes from a special collection owned by the American businessman and the “Father of Philippine Air-conditioning” Edward J. Nell.
The record-breaking sale of “Under The Mango Tree” has made it the most expensive Fernando Amorsolo painting in history, surpassing the P46,720,000 mark previously held by “Mango Gatherers” (1931) which was sold at Leon Gallery in 2018.
Also making the headlines during the said event was the rare copy of the ‘Acta de la Proclamacion De Independencia Del Pueblo Filipino,’ or the Declaration of Philippine Independence.
The historical document, dubbed by historians as the “birth certificate of the Filipino Nation,” was sold for P11,415,200 after being put up at auction with starting price of P1.6M.
The Jaime Ponce De Leon-owned León Gallery has been a proud home to some of the rarest and most significant art pieces in Philippine history.
Notably, León was where the most expensive Philippine painting was auctioned off– the “Space Transfiguration” by Jose Joya, sold for P112,128,000 in March of 2018.