Renowned Filipino artist Juan Luna’s masterpiece, La Bulaqueña, will be showcased at the prestigious Louvre Abu Dhabi in June 2025, marking a significant moment for Philippine art on the global stage. This news emerged during the Senate’s deliberations on the proposed 2025 national budget for the National Museum of the Philippines.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III shared the development, humorously noting that he gained “inside information” through his wife, Kathryna Yu-Pimentel, who serves as a special envoy to the United Arab Emirates. “The good news, I think Mr. Barnes and the National Museum have been approached by the Louvre in Abu Dhabi to lend some pieces, some works of art to be displayed in the Louvre in Abu Dhabi,” Pimentel stated.
During the Senate’s anniversary event at the National Museum, Pimentel discussed with National Museum director Jeremy Barnes about the piece selected for the Louvre. “Last night, when I arrived at the National Museum, I immediately asked Mr. Barnes…and [he] led me to the La Bulaqueña, a painting by Juan Luna of a Bulakenya in Filipiniana attire,” he recounted.
Senator Pia Cayetano, who sponsors the budget of the National Museum, confirmed, “Juan Luna’s painting will be displayed in the Louvre in Abu Dhabi in June next year.” Pimentel praised the National Museum for securing this achievement, saying, “Congratulations to the National Museum for that achievement.”
La Bulaqueña portrays Emiliana Yriarte Trinidad, described as a “comely Filipina from an elite provincial family,” according to the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Encyclopedia of Philippine Art. Trinidad was under 17 years old when she posed for the painting, which Luna began in November 1895 and completed in early 1896. The artwork was later acquired by the National Museum during World War II for 200 in Japanese military notes.
