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Manila Bulletin devider Lifestyle devider Schools and Universities devider Remembering the legacy of celebrated artist Betsy Westendorp

Remembering the legacy of celebrated artist Betsy Westendorp

Published Nov 25, 2022 02:53 pm

The acclaimed Spanish artist passed away at age 94

Acclaimed Spanish artist Betsy Westendorp died on Nov. 23, Wednesday at age 94. News of her demise was confirmed by Instituto Cervantes de Manila through a social media post, which noted that the artist passed away at her home in Aravaca in Madrid.

Betsy Westendorp (Photo by Pinggot Zulueta for the book 'Filipino Artists in their Studios')

Born on Feb. 22, 1927 in Madrid, Spain, Betsy was famously known as the Pintora de Principes. Her creative journey started with painting portraits of her family, which became a passion that led her to meet notable personalities and immortalized them through her brush strokes

By virtue of her marriage to Spanish-Filipino Antonio Brias in the 1950s and a lifetime residency in Manila, she had, through the decades, become a perceptive observer and an active participant in the Philippine art scene. 

She gained many recognitions through her works and valued contributions to Philippine art. His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain bestowed on her the distinguished Lazo de Dama, an exclusive order that is the equivalent of knighthood for women, in 1976. In 2008, former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo awarded her with the Presidential Medal of Merit for Art and Culture. 

Apart from painting portraits, Betsy also celebrated on her canvas the beauty of the Philippines. Through one of her last exhibits led by the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, dubbed “Passages: Celebrating the Artistic Journeys of Betsy Westendorp,” the local art scene was able to witness her paintings depicting landscapes of Philippine terrain, seascapes of Manila Bay, her colorful celebration of Philippine flora, and the grand symphonic cloudscapes across Philippine skies.

"Painting is like meditation," Betsy said in an interview for "Filipino Artists in their Studios" book. "When I paint, it's like I'm entering the alpha and then all my worries and problems are washed away almost that easily."

Rest in peace,  Betsy Westendorp. 

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