Abueva, Napoleón (1930-2018), was a Filipino sculptor noted for his innovative style and varied use of materials. His sculptures can be seen in museums and public spaces around the world. The United Nations Headquarters in New York City houses one of his most famous pieces, Structure (1969), a monumental work made of 350-year-old ipil wood and iron. One of his largest pieces is Transfiguration (1979), a brass and bronze Christ figure that stands 45 feet (13.7 meters) high, in the Eternal Gardens Memorial Park in Caloocan City, near Manila.
Abueva’s talent was noted early when he began winning top prizes at annual competitions run by the Art Association of the Philippines. Prizewinning pieces included Mother and Child (1951), Planting Rice (1952), and Kaganapan (1953), a marble statue admired for its compassionate depiction of a pregnant woman. Abueva’s distinctive style developed further with the sculptures Bird (1958), Allegorical Harpoon (1964), and Flight (1964).
In a series of one-man shows, Abueva demonstrated his versatility by producing whimsical pieces of furniture. At the same time, he produced serious abstract works in wood and in metal, such as the massive sculpture Homage to the New Filipino, which became one of the main attractions at the First National Sculpture Exhibition of the Society of Philippine Sculptors in 1968.
Among Abueva’s later works is Sunburst (1994), a 40-foot (12-meter) sculpture depicting 21 sun rays and 33 spears in copper, bronze, and stainless steel, which stands in a Manila hotel. Other notable works are Three Women Weaving the Filipino Flag (1996) and Tamaraw with Wings (1996), constructed of reinforced concrete and fiberglass.
Napoleón Isabelo Veloso-Abueva was born on Jan. 26, 1930, in Tagbilaran, Bohol, in the Visayan Region of the Philippines. Both his parents were killed during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II (1939-1945), and he worked in dockyards and engineering laboratories, among other places, to support his studies. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of the Philippines in 1953. He also studied in the United States at Cranbrook Academy in Michigan, the University of Kansas, and Harvard University. Abueva was named National Artist for Sculpture in 1976. He died on Feb. 16, 2018.
