Robbie Antonio, the 36-year-old managing director of Century Properties, was spotlighted earlier this week in a Vanity Fair feature titled “Museum of Me” covering his ostentatious ambitions to construct a $15 million mansion in Manila, which will double as a museum containing self-portraits composed by iconic contemporary artists. In an indulge to his penchant for collecting high-brow art, the property scion has reportedly spent between $50,000 to $100,000 for works by Francis Bacon, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons and Julian Schnabel – all depicting himself. Manila Times columnist Rigoberto Tiglao comically observed that the vanity project “would make Imelda (Marcos’) collection of shoes seem so pedestrian.” The unashamed show a wealth takes place in the backdrop of Manila, where roughly half the population of 13 million lives in informal settlements, with the average annual Filipino-family income amounting to $4,988.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Jun 2013 19:49:23 +0000