Remembering Fernando Zóbel on His 100th Birth Anniversary

Renowned artist and art patron Fernando Zóbel de Ayala y Montojo was born today, August 27, in 1924. The youngest child of Enrique Zóbel de Ayala and Fermina Montojo, he was a 5th generation managing partner of Ayala y Compañía from 1955 until 1961, when he left the business to fully focus on his art.

Known best for his abstractions in black and white, Zóbel was an influential figure in the modern art scene in the Philippines and abroad. He envisioned the establishment of Ayala Museum, which features some of his key artworks today.

While working for Ayala, Zóbel also taught art and wrote about the local art scene. He served as president of the Art Association of the Philippines and was generous in his support of Filipino modern artists and the Philippine Art Gallery, whose roster included future National Artists such as Arturo Luz, Jose Joya, Ang Kiukok, Vicente Manansala, and Cesar Legaspi.

In 1966, Zóbel founded the Museo de Arte Abstracto Español in Cuenca, contributing significantly to the modern art movement in Spain.

His artistic legacy and patronage are apparent in Ayala’s headquarters, which features artworks by Zóbel and his contemporaries, as well as those of emerging Filipino artists, echoing his faith in the creativity of the Filipino.

Fernando Zobel’s Tanto Monta (left) is displayed across an artwork by Jaime Zobel de Ayala at Ayala’s headquarters in Makati City.

Fernando Zóbel de Ayala y Montojo (seated, leftmost) with other members of Ayala’s management committee, including Alfonso Zóbel de Ayala, Col. Joseph McMicking, Enrique Zobel, (standing, from left) Jaime Zobel de Ayala, Alfredo Melian, Col. Jaime Velasquez, and Atty. Salvador Lorayes.

(Left) Zóbel in his office at Ayala y Compañía, where he was a managing partner from 1955 to 1961; (right) the artist at work in his studio