Zaballero, Phyllis

Born in 1942 in Rosario, Cavite, Phyllis Zaballero developed an inherently international, cosmopolitan visual sensibility early in life. She spent her formative years navigating the cultural shifts of major global cities, attending schools in Boston, Massachusetts, and Geneva, Switzerland. Her early arts education was centered in the cultural capitals of Western Europe, where she earned an Associate in Arts degree with first honors from the Marymount Colleges of Paris and Barcelona in 1960. Along the way, she secured advanced language certifications from the Universities of Geneva and Barcelona, embedding herself in continental art-historical traditions.

Upon returning to the Philippines, Zaballero pursued a dual academic track at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman. She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1964 before pivoting completely to fine arts, graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting in 1978.

Her professional entry into the art world was monumental. The exact same year she graduated, she won the prestigious Thirteen Artists Award from the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and launched her historic debut individual exhibition, where she shocked the public by unveiling Winward I—an ambitious, seventy-foot-long abstract installation.

Zaballero’s mid-career timeline was defined by high-level academic instruction, international fellowships, and civic engagement. She served on the faculty of the UP College of Fine Arts for seven years while continually expanding her technical repertoire abroad, pursuing printmaking at the Art Students League of New York, drawing at the New York Studio School, and stained-glass apprentice modules in Provence, France.

A fierce feminist and activist, she actively participated in the 1986 People Power Revolution, demonstrating how fine art intersects with the struggle for democracy. Dividing her modern practice between her studio and senior cultural leadership, Zaballero serves as the Vice-President of the Museum Foundation of the Philippines, remaining an irreplaceable pillar of the regional vanguard.

Education & Continental Pedigree
1998: Completion, The Drawing Marathon – New York Studio School, New York City, USA.

1995: Advanced Lithography Specialization – Art Students League of New York, New York City, USA.

1992: Apprenticeship in Stained-Glass Technique – Atelier de M.-J. Portugal, Alpes de Haute Provence, France.

1978: Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Painting (Magna Cum Laude) – University of the Philippines (UP) College of Fine Arts, Diliman, Quezon City.

1964: Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics – University of the Philippines School of Economics, Diliman, Quezon City.

1960: Associate in Arts (First Honors) – Marymount College, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France and Barcelona, Spain.

Major Institutional Awards & Civic Leadership
Active Tenure: Vice-President and Long-term Board Trustee – Museum Foundation of the Philippines.

Global Travel Fellowships: Recipient of six major research, study, and residency grants spanning the governments and private cultural funds of the United States, Great Britain, Germany, France, Portugal, and Macau.

1978: Inducted Vanguard – Thirteen Artists Award, Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), Pasay City.

1976: Recipient – Young Curators Program Award, Cultural Center of the Philippines (Actively curated landmark exhibitions including Philippine Abstract Art and On Color).

Exhibition History
Selected Individual & Survey Exhibitions
2022–2023: Fondly Remembering Spain, Recordando España con cariño – Instituto Cervantes, Intramuros, Manila (A major retrospective organized alongside the Spanish Embassy, gathering works from elite private assets documenting her decades of Iberian travel).

2005: The Portuguese Festival – Comprehensive Research Solo Exhibit, Rustan's Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines.

1978–2009: The Solo Roster – Executed 36 comprehensive individual survey exhibitions across the United States, Europe, and major contemporary galleries throughout Asia.

1978: Phyllis Zaballero: Professional Debut – Bulwagang Fernando Amorsolo (Small Gallery), Cultural Center of the Philippines, Pasay City (Staged simultaneously with her Thirteen Artists induction).

Selected Major Group Curation & Regional Collections
2026: Forward, Always Forward – Galleria Duemila, Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines (A recent masters showcase celebrating 50 years of the historic gallery, featuring her core abstract canvases).

2024: PAMBABAE: Exploring Abstraction by Women Artists 1969-1989 – Art Fair Philippines, The Link, Makati City (A highly acclaimed historical exhibition highlighting her leadership role alongside the pioneering women of Philippine modern art).

2023: CCP and National Museum Collaborative Exhibit – National Museum of Fine Arts, Manila (A major national survey placing her Ventana iterations inside the permanent canon of Southeast Asian visual history).