THE LATE BESSIE BAUTISTA Legarda treated art collecting as a private hobby—an intellectual and emotional pleasure that served the additional function of decorating one’s home.

“We lived comfortably in a two-bedroom bungalow in Malabon. We led a simple life. Nakakapagtaka, lahat ng suweldo niya at ni Papa (Antonio Cabrera Legarda), kahit magsakripisyo ng kung anu-ano, binibili niya ng artworks (Striking how with all of her and papa’s salaries, all kinds of things would be sacrificed to buy artworks),” recalls. Senator Loren Legarda, Bessie and Antonio’s eldest child, “Sa liit ng bahay namin, pati sa ilalim ng kama may mga nakatagong paintings. Nang mamatay siya, nakita namin sa cabinet niya ang mga folder ng sketches ni H.R. Ocampo. Mabuti hindi inipis. (In our tiny house, paintings were stored even under beds. When she died, we saw folders with sketches by H.R. Ocampo inner cabinet. Good thing cockroaches didn’t get at them.) ”

Meeting their living expenses with Antonio’s income as car salesman, Bessie spent her entire salary as bank secretary amassing a spectacular collection of paintings, including the works of National Artists Vicente Manansala and H.R. Ocampo.

Such priceless pieces are now displayed in the senator’s residence in Forbes Park, Makati, while some are in their family home in Malabon and houses of her brothers, Gary and AA. “My father told us in jest, ‘Kayo ha, buhay pa ako kinukuha na ninyo ang mga artworks na ’yan, (Hey, I’m still living’ you’re already helping yourselves to those artworks,)’” Legarda says with a good laugh.

When Bessie bought the paintings, their makers were not yet National Artists. “She had foresight,” the senator says. “Manansala was a good friend of my mom. She would see him regularly to order paintings.” Manansala even did a nude pastel of Bessie, now showcased in her daughter’s house.

Artists would often come to their house and leave their works with Bessie, Senator Legarda remembers. Her mom would sell them to friends but she never got a commission. “She was a good saleswoman but never earned from it. Masisira daw ang fun pag ni-negosyo (Making a business of it would have spoiled the fun.).”

Passionate collector

Bessie often organized exhibits, especially for budding artists. She pursued her love for the arts with the same passion and sensitivity that the artists themselves put into their work.

Her mom already instilled her love for the arts in Loren when she was still a kid. “I was surrounded by paintings, icons, blue and white jars, anything artistic. At hinuhulugan niya ang mga ’yan (and she was paying for them in installments). She was a generous and helpful person so marami diyan mga regalo sa kanya (a lot of them were gifts to her).”

At a young age, Loren perhaps didn’t realize the value of the artworks Bessie was acquiring. “It was not so much of a financial investment but she bought them because she just loved the works. And it paid off figuratively and literally.”

But when Bessie would fancy traveling to Europe, Legarda relates, she would sell an H.R. Ocampo or any other valuable piece to cover the expenses.

Bessie the painter

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994, Bessie died in 1996. But a year before she died, already in her late 50s, she learned to paint landscapes. “Bessie Legarda, the collector became Bessie Legarda, the painter,” the senator says. She even joined a group exhibit where former president Corazon Aquino was guest of honor.

Her mother’s passion for the arts rubbed off on the award winning broadcast journalist and politician Loren and her two sons, Lanz, 18, and Lean, 15.

Loren also paints, with trees as subject. She printed her works on greeting cards that she gives out on special occasions. Her children “devour” museums whenever they travel.

Hallmark cards

After Bessie’s death, her paintings were showcased by Hallmark as greeting cards. The proceeds of went to the Bessie B. Legarda Memorial Foundation, which conducts medical missions for indigent women and promotes breast cancer awareness.

A beautiful woman who loved life and lived it to the fullest, Bessie was “collected jewelry, antiques, paintings, icons. She loved to travel. She loved friends and talking to people. She had a very inquisitive childlike mind. She was a genuine and vivacious person,” Legarda says. “We were not rich but her life was rich. She was wealthy with friends, relationships and art.”