Alcuaz tapestry sold for $11,495 in Virginia auction

Federico Aguilar Alcuaz (Filipino, 1932- 2011) fabric, 1972. A framed abstract needlework tapestry titled 3US. The tapestry is done in blues, greens, and black. OAKRIDGE AUCTION GALLERY

ASHBURN, Virginia – A trade buyer from Europe bought a tapestry attributed to Filipino artists Federico Aguilar Alcuaz (1932-2011) for $11,495 during a recent auction.

The Alcuaz tapestry was the top seller at Oakridge Auction Gallery’s May 16 sale. It came from a Northern Virginia collection that had acquired it from the estate of a diplomatic corps staff member although the paperwork was lost.

Federico Aguilar Alcuaz was a 20th-century Filipino painter known for his Cubist-inspired paintings. Most often depicting nude women, interiors, still lifes, and landscapes, Alcuaz’s work is characterized by its soft blurred edges coupled with bold lines and shapes.

Born on June 6, 1932 in Manila, the Philippines, he went on to study fine arts at the University of the Philippines and moved to Barcelona, Spain to start his artistic career. Alcuaz’s work is in the collections of the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Modern Art of Warsaw, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Madrid, among others. Alcuaz died on February 2, 2011 in Manila, the Philippines.