Ronald ventura in the cover of esquire magazine

A Portrait of Ronald Ventura As a Global Phenomenon

 

If it was about scales, then Ventura would have broken his own a long time ago. As one of the highest-selling contemporary Southeast Asian artists in modern history, he has been smashing auction records left and right, year after year.

The gaudy numbers speak for themselves. In December 2022, "Blind Mechanism" set a Philippine record at León Gallery’s Kingly Treasures auction at a staggering P57.2 million, dislodging his previous Philippine record set by “Crack in the Hull" at P25.6 million. Even more staggering was the record he set at Christie's for "Party Animal" the year prior, fetching HK$19.45 million (roughly P120 million). He shattered the previous record he set with Sotheby's in 2011, when "Grayground," the piece that catapulted him into rarefied air, sold for HK$8.42 million (about P58 million).

 
Article by:  Bryle B. Suralta
 
July 14, 2023
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