KAREN H. MONTINOLA SELECTION

Karen Hernandez Montinola was a mother, a wife, and art aficionado who collected as a hobby. She nurtured a collection both for her personal enjoyment and and the exposure it would give to her four children. The slow accumulation accelerated with the advent of a blossoming art scene and a new home, a space that she curated with care for those she loved. A three-year stint living in Milan fuelled her passion further. The pleasure with which she obtained new art for the home was matched by the pleasure of seeing local artists succeed in the ever- developing arts scene in the Philippines. Today, the house full of her handpicked artwork remains an expression of herself, a lasting touch that nurtured four children into adults appreciative of both the visual arts and the embodiment of love left to them.

This year’s Art Fair Philippines houses the Karen H. Montinola Selection, a special exhibit in which an artist is carefully selected and awarded this showcase. Her family hopes a viewing of this exhibit captures the spirit of what her collecting was about: astute curating, steadfast support for the local arts, and the lasting memory of an artistic soul.