Marcel Antonio (born June 28, 1965)

is a Filipino painter once considered one of the most promising in Philippine contemporary art.^[1] A graduate of the University of the Philippines' College of Fine Arts, Antonio has produced a distinctive collection of narrativeand pseudo-narrative figurative paintings influenced by modernism and 1980s postmodernism.

As one of the Philippines' young painters most proficient in the expressionist genre, Antonio is currently considered a prize ofcollectors in the Manila art market, which following granted the painter mainstream gallery success. Since Antonio's career started, art dealers have indulged the painter an unending series of sold-out exhibitions.^[2]

Antonio's works involve a clear expressionism with mysterious themes, often utilizing fabular images that combine myth with reality. Seeming stories behind his paintings have also captured mainstream gallery-goers' attention.

Philippine critics also regard Antonio as one among the most important contemporary Filipino painters, bestowing on the artist a number of critical acclaim for his magnetic narratives in oil and acrylic. In Manila he has exhibited at major galleries like Galleria Duemila, The Drawing Room, Gallery BIG, Galleria Quattrocento and Glorietta Art Center, where his following include both local and international buyers. He has also exhibited in Berlin, Australia and Singapore.

Antonio's Maiden with Flowers, oil on canvas, 2000.