Federico Aguilar Alcuaz


Frederico Aguilar Alcuaz was a Filipino painter who exhibited extensively Internationally and whose work earned him recognition both in the Philippines and abroad.
Alcuaz was conferred the title of National Artist for Visual Arts, Painting, Sculpture and Mixed Media in 2009. However, four nominees for the award other than Alcuaz became embroiled in the 2009 National Artist of the Philippines Controversy, which led the Supreme Court of the Philippines to temporarily issue a status quo order on August 25, 2009, blocking the conferment of the awards on all seven nominees - despite the fact that no objections were ever raised regarding the conferment of the award to Alcuaz and two other nominees.

Education and personal life

Federico Aguilar Alcuaz was born on June 6, 1932 in Santa Cruz, Manila. He was the 6th of 11 Children of Mariano Aguilar a Lawyer and a Musician and ''Encarnneo de Manila and finished his degree in 1955. In 1949–1950 he took up painting subjects at the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts. In 1955 he went to rats. In the same year he began signing his paintings with Aguilar Alcuaz to distinguish himself from two other Aguilars who are also members of the La Punalada Group. In 1959, he met Ute Schmitz, whom he married 3 years later and they had 3 sons.
He died on February 2, 2011, in Manila, Philippines due to natural causes.

Awards