A Conversation with Cid Reyes
Words Jewel Chuaunsu
Photography Jovel Lorenzo
May 7, 2025
This is an excerpt from Art+ Magazine March-April 2025 issue
Prolific art critic, author, and artist Cid Reyes discovered the world of art when he was a student at De La Salle University. His background was in writing—he used to edit the literary magazine and was essentially a poet. While at university, he started visiting Luz Gallery in Manila. Though he felt too intimidated to step inside, he would look at the art through the windowpane. “The first painting that I saw was a painting by Fernando Zobel,” said Reyes. “You know, the typical Zobel is all this empty space and a few wisps of lines. And yet, I felt something within me. Why am I responding emotionally to this empty canvas with a few wisps of lines? I felt that, as a writer, I did not have the vocabulary to write about art…That was my first exposure to art.”
Cid Reyes, Weeping Woman
Upon seeing the works of Fernando Zobel and Lee Aguinaldo, Reyes discovered his emotional connection to art. Initially, his career focused on advertising, writing campaigns for consumer products, but a scholarship to study painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome marked a pivotal shift. After studying in Italy, he also studied art history at the City Lit Institute in London.
“I cherry-picked my courses in art history: Impressionism, Oriental art, Japanese art, African art, Greek art. Even as I was choosing my own hand-picked courses, there was a plan behind it. I wanted to be well-rounded. I was really blown away by the universe of art. It seemed inexhaustible,” said Reyes.
Cid Reyes, Homage to Manansala (Candle Vendor)
Upon returning to Manila, Reyes joined the Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) competition, which had an art criticism component. His written piece earned him the “Best in Art Criticism” award at the AAP. This led to his weekly art column, “Gallery Hopping,” in Today newspaper, where he wrote over 500 pieces from 1995 to 2004. Despite being busy with advertising, he balanced his writing career with painting, driven by discipline, passion, and an extensive knowledge of art.
Reyes wrote the book Conversations on Philippine Art, which comprises interviews with over 30 key figures in modern and contemporary Philippine art. As author and co-author, he has written over 40 art books and is the author of choice for five National Artists: Arturo Luz, BenCab, J. Elizalde Navarro, Napoleon Abueva, and Fernando Amorsolo. He has also written books on Lao Lianben, Augusto Albor, Pacita Abad, Ramon Orlina, Romulo Olazo, Lee Aguinaldo, and more.
An artist in his own right, Reyes has had 20 solo exhibitions, including the recent Homage to the Masters at Galerie Joaquin Podium. Reyes also interviews artists for ArticulatePH, a YouTube channel dedicated to preserving the oral history of Filipino visual art. The channel features not only Reyes’ latest interviews, but also the Lost Conversations series of interviews he had conducted 40-50 years ago, digitized from cassette tapes.
Art+ chatted with Cid Reyes about his Homage to the Masters exhibition, as well as his advocacy in interviewing Filipino artists.
Read the full story in Art+ Magazine’s March-April 2025 issue. Now availabe on artplus.shop, Shopee, and in select bookstores nationwide.
