Obsessions of the rich

Once in a while, rare treasures from decades past – which are almost always intertwined with the country’s history and our story as a people – surface or resurface, thanks in no small measure to some of the richest and most powerful families in the Philippines and their obsessions for rare and priceless finds.

Who knows where these treasures have been kept and hidden all this time? Perhaps in some billionaire’s sprawling and glittering living room, or in a basement with a hidden key, or in some den with a secret door.

Such treasures may range from paintings as old as time, to a rare self-portrait by controversial Filipino artist Juan Luna, to a rare easel-sized tableau of National Artist Francisco “Botong” Francisco – in stark contrast to his large murals – to a handwritten poem by our National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal, etc.

Trust renowned art gallery León Gallery once more to bring such jaw-dropping art treasures – and more – out into the market as it ends 2023 with one final auction, the Kingly Treasures Auction on Dec. 2, after three successful quarterly auctions this year.

I caught a glimpse of some of these pieces during a recent visit to León Gallery in Makati. Its director Jaime Ponce de Leon was busy preparing for the auction but managed to find time to fill me in on the stories behind the art pieces that will soon go under the hammer.

As someone obsessed with stories, I love hearing the interesting tales behind the different collections. It’s the reason I keep coming back to the gallery, especially when there’s an upcoming auction.

I bumped into society chronicler and writer Jerome Gomez during my visit last week. I told him I was planning to write about the upcoming auction, to which he jested: “So what’s your angle, ‘Obsessions of the rich?’”

Indeed, Jerome is right. Collecting the finest art pieces has become an obsession for the rich and the well-heeled crowd.

Up for auction on Saturday are rare finds from such exquisite collections.

Take for instance the collection of banking taipan Dee K. “DK” Chiong, president and chairman of the country’s first Filipino-Chinese bank, China Banking Corp. and the paternal grandfather of Miss Universe Philippines