MANILA, Philippines — National artist Napoleon Abueva, who is also known as the Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture, passed away at the age of 88 on Friday.
Abueva has been confined at the National Kidney Transplant Institute since December 31, according to his Facebook page.
The MET Museum in Manila has expressed its condolences to the family of Abueva through its Twitter account.
On January 28, the Abueva family, through the national artist's Facebook page, posted that they are in need of blood donors. He has been confined at the hospital while being treated for pneumonia.
Abueva was proclaimed as National Artist for Visual Arts in 1976, the youngest to receive such recognition at the age of 46.
He created several sculptures at the University of the Philippines Diliman campus including Magdangal and Nine Muses at the College of Arts and Letters, the checkpoint at University Avenue, and the double-sided crucifix and altar base at the Church of the Risen Lord. — Patricia Lourdes Viray