Jose P. Alcantara

Alcantara

Great Filipino Sculptor, Painter, Inventor and Businessman.

Biography

Born in 1911 and passed away in 2005, Jose P. Alcantara was a renowned Filipino sculptor, muralist, painter, inventor and businessman. Alcantara is remembered for his contributions to the rich and diverse Filipino art scene, and is known as one of the greatest sculptors that the country has ever produced.

A native of Manila, Alcantara began his career in art at the age of ten as an apprentice in a sculptural shop in the Quiapo district. He would go on to hone his craft over the course of his lifetime, and go on to win multiple prizes in competitions held by the Art Association of the Philippines, as well as various awards in the United States where he emigrated later in life.

Alcantara rests today with his wife, Elisa, and his eldest daughter, Julieta, in a cemetery in the town of Taytay in Rizal province, nearby the familial hometown of Binangonan. He has children and grandchildren that currently live in the Philippines and around the world, many of which continue to carry on his legacy in the arts.

Manila Times Image

Alcantara featured in The Manila Times

San Diego UT Image

Alcantara featured in the San Diego Union Tribune

Awards

  • Special Prize, 1951: INA NG LAHI (MOTHER OF FILIPINOS)
  • Third Prize, 1951: THE KISS
  • First Prize, 1953: MOTHER AND CHILD
  • First Prize, 1954: INA NG ANI (MOTHER OF HARVEST)
  • Second Prize, 1955: SUSMARIOSEP
  • First Prize in the first Southeast Asian Art conference and Competition: BEHOLD THE MAN
Award Image

Lifetime achievement award from Alcantara's home province of Rizal

medal

Medal awarded to Alcantara shortly before his passing by the president of the Philippines

Style

Alcantara's art reflects local Filipino culture, history, themes and ways of life. Here are a few samples of some of his most notable and acclaimed works of art (click to enlarge):

Mother and Child

Mother and Child (1953)

PhilAm Auditorium Mural

Section of Alcantara's famous wooden mural at the PhilAm Life Auditorium in Manila. Sculpted in 1961.

Alcantara's sketch of proposed mural at the Makati Merchant Bank. Sketched in 1971.

Ina ng Lahi

Ina ng Lahi (1951)


If you would like to know more information, or connect with his family, please visit him on Facebook