Federico Aguilar Alcuaz (1932–2011) was a Filipino painter, sculptor, and tapestry artist honored as a National Artist for Visual Arts. Born in Manila, he completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines before earning a scholarship to study at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, where he refined his craft and gained international recognition.
Alcuaz’s career was marked by both versatility and acclaim. He worked across painting, sculpture, and tapestry, but he is best remembered for his abstract canvases inspired by organic, vegetal, and visceral forms, suffused with a primeval, disquieting quality. His works balanced spontaneity with structure, creating a visual language that was distinctly modern yet deeply personal.
He received numerous awards, including the Francisco Goya Award and the Cercle Maillol Barcelona Prize in 1958, the Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1965, and Second Prize at the Prix Vancell, 4th Biennial of Terrassa in Barcelona, Spain in 1964. His solo exhibitions spanned Europe and the Philippines, with notable shows at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Madrid (1956), the Gallery of the City Hall of Burgos, Spain (1958), the Asociación Artística Vizcaína in Bilbao (1959), and the Philippine Art Gallery in Manila (1955).
Alcuaz lived in Europe for an extended period, including time in Czechoslovakia, where he produced a series of abstract tapestries that expanded his practice into monumental scale. His international career brought Philippine modernism to a global audience, while his works at home enriched the country’s cultural heritage.
In 2009, he was proclaimed National Artist for Visual Arts, affirming his place among the most important figures in Philippine art history.
