Luis “Onib” Olmedo was born on July 7, 1937. He finished architecture at the Mapua Institute of Technology in 1959 and finished seventh in the board examinations. He started painting in the 60′s and held his first one-man show at the Solidaridad Galleries in 1971. Olmedo passed away in 1996 at the peak of his career. His brooding visages and the quiet tension of his still lifes are seared in the public imagination; and his stylistic influence on a younger generation of artists remains strong.

Onib Olmedo would have been 75 years old this year. He died in 1996 at the peak of his career as an artist. During that time, he was considered as one of the major Filipino artists in the 20th century. His influence on the art scene as the leading expressionist artist during his time remains strong as ever.

“His use of distortion is combined with exquisite color harmonies, and shows a deep sympathy for the hoi polloi at the margins of society, as well as for sensitive beings such as thinkers and musicians. “

Known for his expressionistic style, Olmedo inspired many young artists with his distorted and ghostlike images. His black and white compositions create an eerie world brought about by inner fears and anxieties.

- 1959 Received Bachelor of Science in Architecture, Mapua Institute of Technology, Manila, Philippines.
- 1979 Gold Medalist, Annual Art Competition, Art Association of the Philippines / Philippine Representative, International Exposition des Peintures at Chateau Musee de Cagnes-Sur-Mer, France.
- 1980 Gold Medalist, Mobil Award Art Competition.
- 1981 Gold Medalist, Annual Art Competition, Art Association of the Philippines.
- 1988 Philippine Representative, International Art Competition, Baghdad, Iraq.
- 1991 Araw ng Maynila, 24 June 91, Adjudged, The Araw ng Maynila Awardee for Art.
- 1992 Honorable Mention, International Exposition des Peintures at Chateau Musee de Cagnes-Sur-Mer, France.

2012 marks the late Onib Olmedo’s 75th birth year. In their desire to expand the appreciaton of the artist’s work to a wider audience, his family has graciously chosen Bacolod City to be the first leg of a multi-city national and international tour to celebrate this important event. As a pioneer of figurative expressionism, Olmedo is considered by critics to be one of the most important Philippine visual artists of the 20th century; and his works are represented in major institutional and private collections both in the Philippines and abroad.

“The adulation shown by the public for Olmedo’s work marked a new era in the history of Philippine art when Filipino viewers became more sophisticated and discerning, and began to understand the nuances of art, appreciating paintings for their cathartic value.” In 1992, he was the first Filipino to be accorded anaward by the prestigious international art competition in Cagnes Sur Mer, France.

Olmedo’s impact on the art scene is evidenced by a whole new generation of artists declaring themselves as his self-confessed disciples, producing works he had inspired, and putting up exhibits that paid homage to their late master.

For more information, please email info@charliesartgallery.com