'This is the first book ever to take you behind the scenes of a community that has often baffled, intrigued and bewildered the outside gazer and, to a great extent, the inhabitants as well.

In five interwoven sections, the book tells you how the Philippine art scene came about, from the time of the artist Anon to its present vast and complex ambience. It provides a close-up view of the people who have turned it into a lively and fascinating scenario - the artists, critics, trendsetters, dealers, patrons and collectors. It shows you how artists live, how they work and what they have to do to gain attention. It measures the influence of the critic and how his views determine the artist's status in the art hierarchy. It unlocks the secrets of galleries and dealers and reveals how prices are driven up and why art has become a major investment for the affluent. It also gives the reader a rare opportunity to visit the homes of thirty leading collectors and get an intimate look at the individual ways they have chosen to make art an integral part of their way of life.

The book informs, delights, instructs and illuminates. But more than these, it provokes the reader to take stock of the art world as it is today: its inner politics, its rising commercialism, its eroding values and its narrow boundaries which the author feels must be expanded to allow the general public in. It raises and answers questions that many shun and proposes guidelines and alternatives that will be of interest to anyone concerned with the future of our living culture.' (Back cover)