“The World According to Jaime de Guzman,” Now on View at the Yuchengco Museum

The Yuchengco Museum announces that its special exhibition, The World According to Jaime de Guzman: A Hermit Painter’s Last Years in Mount Banahaw, is currently open to the public and will remain on view until December 2026.

Having launched this past April, the exhibit is presented as part of the museum’s Collector’s Choice exhibition series. Staged at the museum’s 3/F Galleries, it features an extraordinary selection of Jaime de Guzman paintings and portraits from the private collection of writer, scholar, and lawyer Saul Hofileña, Jr. 

A Rare Glimpse into the Artist’s Twilight Years 

This exhibition marks the first time Jaime de Guzman’s deeply introspective, twilight canvases are being shared with the public. Culled from a collection built on a profound, decades-long friendship between Dr. Hofileña and the artist, the exhibit offers visitors an intimate look at a completely different side of de Guzman’s artistry. 

Jaime de Guzman (1942–2023) initially burst into the modern Philippine art scene with the intense figurative expressionism and feverish strokes that earned the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Thirteen Artists Award in 1970. But his later works reveal a quiet shift toward calmness, contemplation, and spiritual acceptance as he navigated a progressive illness before his passing in 2023. 

A Guided Journey Through the Galleries 

The narrative layout of the exhibition guides visitors across three distinct spaces: 

● In His Mind: Showcases serene, symbolic landscapes and works capturing what the artist described as “the sound of the universe.” 

● In His Home: Explores his immediate domestic surroundings, complete with dedicated photo-op sections for visitors. 

● In His Spirit: Delves into the deep mysticism that defined his final years. The transitional walkway bridge overlooking the RCBC Plaza Courtyard serves as an educational zone where visitors can engage with the artist’s legacy from a scholarly perspective, featuring selected quotations and text inspired by Dr. Hofileña’s biographical research. 

The Mysticism of Mount Banahaw and Sacred Amulets 

Much of the exhibition’s spiritual weight centers on Mount Banahaw, the sacred, active volcano complex where de Guzman chose to live in close alignment with nature, and where his ashes were scattered in 2023. 

Also on display is a special mini-exhibit dedicated to folk amulets and anting-anting (or agimat) gathered from the Banahaw region. These sacred objects of local spiritual practice are accompanied by an illustrative painting by artist Guy Custodio titled Cofradia de San Jose. 

Final Masterpieces and Multi-disciplinary Talents 

Visitors to the museum have the rare privilege of viewing de Guzman’s final completed painting: an evocative piece bearing the title, In a few days I shall enter here- then I shall be free. Alongside is an unfinished canvas that offers a unique technical look into his creative process. 

Additionally, the exhibition highlights de Guzman’s multi-disciplinary talents with examples of his high-fired stoneware, a practice he developed alongside his wife, ceramist Anne Polkinghorn. 

Exhibition Exclusives at the YShop 

To enrich the gallery experience, Dr. Hofileña’s comprehensive 2025 book, The Enigma of Jaime de Guzman: Collected Works of the Painter of the Mystic Mountain, is available for visitors to browse within the exhibit area. Copies of the book are available for purchase at the YShop, alongside customizable papier-mache dogs styled after the artist’s beloved companion, Lee, which buyers can paint themselves. 

Visitor Information 

The Yuchengco Museum is open Monday to Saturday (closed Sundays and holidays), 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The museum is located at RCBC Plaza, corner Ayala and Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenues, Makati City. For more details, email info@yuchengcomuseum.org or follow @YuchengcoMuseum, and @YSpaceattheYuchengcoMuseum on social media.