MASTER PAINTER OF PHILIPPINE HERITAGE CHURCHES
AL PEREZ
Dubbed the “Master Painter of Heritage Churches” and the “Father of Heritage Art,” Al Perez (1947–2024) was a distinguished Filipino painter whose work left a lasting mark on Philippine art. Born in Hagonoy, Bulacan, he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Santo Tomas in 1968 and later pursued further studies at the Art Students League (1984) and the School of Visual Arts (1996) in New York.
Across a career spanning more than five decades, Perez painted historic churches, ancestral houses, nipa huts, still life, flowers, and landscapes in a refined realist style. His works appeared on Philippine Postal Stamps and TB Christmas Seals, and he proudly represented the Philippines in exhibitions held in different countries, including the United States. In recognition of his lifelong dedication to culture and heritage, he was posthumously nominated for the Order of National Artist for Visual Arts.
the legacy I hope I will leave behind for this country."
"My advocacy is to paint the great heritage and culture of the Philippines through its glorious churches,
The churches that were destroyed by earthquakes, typhoons, fire, and other calamities were immortalized so that the next generation could appreciate them even through a painting. The portraits of old churches are
Philippine Heritage Churches
Al Perez, known universally as the “Aquarelle Master of Philippine Churches,” is celebrated for his intricate and realistic depictions of historic churches—painting almost all of the famous colonial churches across the Philippines, including the UNESCO-inscribed Baroque Churches of the Philippines. Guided by a passion for preserving their beauty and architecture, he traveled extensively throughout the country, capturing with remarkable precision the striking magnificence of our great churches as a celebration of our history and heritage. His works, admired both locally and internationally, are housed in museums and private collections worldwide.
As the prolific art critic Cid Reyes observed, Perez possessed the rare gift to “deliver reality as he actually saw it with an artist’s wandering eye,” while his church paintings embody “the weight of centuries…the gravitas of our colonial past,” encapsulating the very soul of the Filipino people.¹
Al Perez
Sacred and Profane
"Sacred and Profane features veteran artist Al Perez's famous paintings and sculptures, digging deep into the duality of his works, and his life before and beyond his art.
Edited and coauthored by the envoy himself with top art critic Cid Reyes, cultural journalist Edgar Allan Sembrano and cultural diplomacy researcher-writer Eugene Sumakwel Servigon, published in 2023 by Kawayan Press of the Cebu-based Museo Cariño of Ambassador José Maria A. Cariño."
Press
Al Perez, Master Painter Of Heritage Churches, Featured In Exhibit At Barasoain Church Museum
