Wisp of a woman is Pacquiao’s ‘KO artist’

The greatness of champions is that they bring along with them to the pinnacle of success other deserving talents.

Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao—the only eight-division world champion and currently the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world—made possible for artist Clairyenne Malanyaon to become the first woman sports artist and only Asian artist to receive a grant from the Florence Academy of Fine Arts.

Not entirely a damsel in distress, Claire Yen (the name that she signs in her paintings) never imagined that her champion would pluck her out of professional anonymity in her country and take her to the dizzying heights of international sports artistdom.

A knockout artist himself, Manny Pacquiao has delivered a knockout of an artist in what the sports world has described as “a wisp of a woman” by declaring the demure but talented 35-year-old mother as his resident painter—thus claiming yet another title as most valued sports art patron.

Breaks gender barrier

With the champion’s endorsement, Claire Yen has broken the gender barrier not only in a sport but in an art genre dominated by men, by such illustrious sports artists as LeRoy Neiman, Stephen Holland and Richard Slone.

Neiman, the undisputed champion of the art of sports, has elevated to timeless art the exploits of Olympians in bursts of color. He is known for his iconic painting of Muhammad Ali in the latter’s transition from Cassius Clay.

Slone, Sports Artist of the Year 2008, has also rendered portraits of Pacquiao and other recent boxing legends.

Why, if legendary sports hero Muhammad Ali has his resident painter in Holland to chronicle his fights, current world’s best Pacquiao can have his legacy preserved in the paintings of compatriot Claire Yen.

Impressed at first sight

The champ and his resident painter met through the intercession of her art patron, former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza whom Pacquiao calls “Tatay.”  Claire Yen brought a portfolio of paintings on Pacquiao that she was planning to exhibit in a local gallery to show the champ.

Impressed at first sight, not only did Manny buy one, he also invited the artist to exhibit her eight paintings, all murals measuring 4 x 8 feet, in Las Vegas during his scheduled championship bout with Miguel Cotto in 2009.

Maybe it was his Tatay’s powers of persuasion or the comely looks of the “wisp of a girl” who could be an artist’s model herself for her Saturday Group sessions except that she’d rather be wielding her brush than sitting in front of notable artists.

Whatever the reason, the connection between patron and artist was made.

More likely, what struck Pacquiao when he saw the body of works presented to him for the first time was that Claire Yen was able to capture the significant moments in his storied ascent to legend status. In her paintings of Pacquiao’s fights, Claire Yen brings to the fore the essential soul of the victor or fallen opponent that the sports fan fails to see in photographic stills and video.

In contrast to her more renowned male sports artists who focus on the action, Claire Yen’s brush strokes show more of the human character like a photographic detail frozen in time.

Her paintings found their way to a silent auction for a charity event for the Filipino champion’s MP Foundation in the Dallas Stadium in Texas during the Pacquiao-Clottey fight in March 2010, her second exhibit. Just one signed painting fetched a six-figure dollar amount that went to a fund for charity.

The paintings of Pacquiao’s choice—that of the champion wearing three belts commemorating his 8th division victory over Margarito, the Cotto title fight and Pacquiao in a red robe before the fight—now hang in his Los Angeles home.

The Hatton and Morales murals that Manny bought from the initial collection have remained with Atienza.

During the press conference early this year announcing the May 7 welterweight bout between Pacquiao and Sugar Shane Mosley in Las Vegas, the Filipino boxing superstar asked the young artist to come up the stage and bring her painting that he and Shane were to autograph. The painting was to be used for the cover of the souvenir program for the championship fight.

Claire Yen exhibited her Pacquiao paintings for the third time at the Events Center in Mandalay Bay during the Pacquiao-Mosley fight.

The new art patron has not only signed Claire Yen’s paintings, an imprimatur which doubles the value of the art, he had the lawyer of basketball star LeBron James no less execute a legal document giving his personal sports artist exclusive authority “to use my image and signature for limited edition multiples.”

In the multimedia age where artists can become quite passionate about intellectual property rights, this is a document sports artists absolutely need.

Doors wide open

The exhibit of her Pacquiao paintings in Las Vegas has opened the doors wide for the first international Filipino sports artist. For one, Claire Yen’s work got the attention of a collector of European Old Masters named Michael Schwartz, the owner of an eponymous gallery in Beverly Hills, California.

Schwartz’s Galerie Michael on Rodeo Drive is frequented by movie and sports celebrities. Taken in as the gallery’s exclusive artist, Claire Yen got commissioned portraits from the likes of actor Brad Pitt and basketball icon Kobe Bryant. She rubbed elbows with fellow artist Alexander Renoir, a grandson of the great master, Pierre Auguste Renoir.

Italy study grant

Not only did Schwartz expose Claire Yen to European art, he also facilitated a grant for her to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy. She has had to forego the summer certificate course, which was supposed to start in July, in order to concentrate on her coming local exhibit.

But when she starts the two-year diploma course in August under the academy’s director, Daniel Graves, who is also handled by Galerie Michael in the US, Claire Yen will be the only Asian artist and the first Filipino grant recipient as well. It will be the equivalent of a four-year art course in the Philippines.

She will take her pending commissions with her to the Florence studio-residence being provided for her by the gallery, there to finish the portraits of the Pacquiao family as well as that of Amir Khan, the young junior welterweight champ handled by Bob Arum that she is also chronicling.

But before Claire Yen takes on a new turn in her career, her most valued patron Manny Pacquiao has decided that she should mount a local exhibit to let her countrymen know and share in her art and newfound fame.

Claire Yen will exhibit her new works in oil in a tribute to the world’s only 8-division boxing champion at Galerie Astra at the LRI Design Plaza on Reposo Street in Makati City this week.

The exhibit, “MP8: A Tribute to the Living Legend,” will be open for public viewing from July 29 to August 4.