Filipino Artist Commissions 83 Interpretations of the Iconic Painting ‘Mona Lisa’ as a Gift for His Wife Mona

Mona Lisa Project
image via Cultural Center of the Philippines

Filipino visual artist Soler Santos, founder of the West Gallery in Manila, commissioned a collection of interpretations of Leonardo da Vinci‘s iconic painting, Mona Lisa, as a gift for his wife Mona Santos. What started first as a small gift has escalated into The Mona Lisa Project, a collection of 83 different paintings in different styles, each inspired by the Mona Lisa and painted by a different contemporary artist in the Philippines.

Speaking with The Philippine Star, Santos mentioned that the project is continuing to grow.

The collection is really in progress, ongoing, so it’s always growing. Our friend, Popoy Vilchez, works with Solaire and he invited us to show the bigger collection in their new wing. The purpose was to show it to a bigger audience, and potentially to those who aren’t so familiar with art or the local art scene. Solaire provided a space for us, and also the exposure to a wider audience we don’t typically see at exhibits.

The exhibit is currently on display at the Solaire Resort in Manila until January 15, 2015.

Mona Lisa Project
image via Cultural Center of the Philippines

Mona Lisa Project
image via Cultural Center of the Philippines

Mona Lisa Project
image via Luis Antonio Santos

via The Philippine Star

Rebecca Escamilla
Rebecca Escamilla

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