Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera is a celebrated painter, photographer, draftsman, and printmaker, honored as National Artist for Visual Arts in 2006. A graduate of the University of the Philippines Diliman (BFA Painting, 1963), he quickly rose to prominence with his socially charged works and distinctive blend of realism, abstraction, and expressionism.
BenCab’s art has been the subject of several books, including Ben Cabrera: Etchings (1970–1980) by Cid Reyes, BenCab’s Rock Sessions by Eric Caruncho, BenCab by Alfred Yuson and Cid Reyes, and BenCab: Nude Drawings by Alfred Yuson. His exhibitions have spanned the globe, with recent highlights such as Homage to Sabel at the Luz Gallery in 2002, and Larawan – Portraits from the Past at Plum Blossoms Gallery, Singapore in 2001.
His recurring subjects include the “Larawan” series, inspired by archival Philippine photographs, and “Sabel,” a solitary scavenger woman he encountered in the 1960s who became a powerful symbol of resilience and humanity in his oeuvre.
BenCab has received numerous honors, including the ASEAN Achievement Award for Visual & Performing Arts in 1997, the 5th ASEAN Achievement Award from the ASEAN Business Forum in Jakarta, and the Gawad CCP Para Sa Sining in 1992. His works are housed in major collections worldwide, and in 2005 he established the BenCab Museum in Baguio City, which preserves his legacy while promoting Philippine contemporary art and Cordillera ethnographic traditions.
