KKK: WHEN BANKING AND ART COME TOGETHER

From the mean streets of Manila to a delicate child's frock, then on to totems and kettles, as well as images of pillows and windows, the exhibition "Kultura. Kapital. Kasalukuyan." features a mighty selection of 35 works from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' collection of Filipino contemporary art created by today's most influential artists.

- LISA GUERRERO NAKPIL

It opens to the public on Aug. 15, free of charge, at the National Museum of Fine Arts in two of its spacious galleries. It will run for more than two years until Nov. 15, 2027.

Banking and art have been familiar bedfellows since the Quattrocento when the masters of the coin, the Medicis, decided that they would pursue that greatest sport of kings, the commissioning and collecting of art.

Then as now, the ownership of beautiful objects defined not just one's identity, but also one's importance in the hierarchy of politics and society.

The Bangko Sentral has had a long, venerable history of investing in Philippine culture long before it became fashionable in the country.

"We have (former) Governor Jaime Laya to thank for setting that into motion," says Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, deputy governor of the BSP for regional operations and advocacy.

"And he's still on our acquisitions committee to this day."

The BSP Collection is most renowned for its holdings in pre-colonial gold and Spanish-era paintings and furniture. Indeed, it owns some of the most important cultural touchstones of the country from the 16th to the 19th century.

There are, in fact, enough treasures to fill several museums.

Not so well known is its glorious assets in the world of Filipino contemporary art.

The "KKK" exhibition is just a small part of those artworks.

The BSP Museum has been on the drawing board for several years, says Romulo-Puyat, and it's been a stop-start and then stop situation. (The museum falls directly under her purview.) A decision was finally made to make the art available to the public to view and enjoy.