Purita Kalaw-Ledesma gathered a large number of books during her lifetime from her engagements with various artists, writers, and cultural institutions both in the Philippines and abroad. The PKL Center set up a library to make her collection accessible to the public.
Shaped by Kalaw-Ledesma’s inclinations, the library collection consists of books on Modern Art, with titles on Filipino artists, art scene, and art criticism in the Philippines during Purita’s lifetime, as well as the Art Association of the Philippines which she founded in 1948. Her other art books include international publications which are documents of her travels abroad and testify to her interest in expanding her knowledge on the arts and her deep regard for it.
The PKL Center Library carries titles written by Purita herself such as And Life Goes On (1994); The Philippine Art Gallery: The Biggest Little Room (1987); Family Recipes (1986); Edades: National Artist (1979); The Struggle for Philippine Art (co-authored with Amadis Ma. Guerrero, 1974); and A Critical Analysis of Modern Painting in the Philippines Today (1955), her MA thesis in Art Education submitted to the University of the Philippines.
The Library also keeps books written by her family, including her father, the historian and public servant Teodoro M. Kalaw who wrote books on Filipino historical figures as well as his influential Aide-de-camp-to Freedom which was translated into English by Maria Kalaw-Katigbak, Purita’s sister. Maria was a former Senator who wrote Legacy: Pura Villanueva Kalaw (1983), a book on their mother. The 1908 carnival queen, businesswoman, philanthropist Pura Villanueva Kalaw was also an advocate of women’s suffrage and wrote How the Filipina Got the Vote (1952). Aside from these, the Library offers a selection of Filipiniania, spanning a variety of books on literature, history, politics, and culture. Some of these titles were written by National Artists for Literature including Nick Joaquin, N.V.M Gonzalez, Amado V. Hernandez, F. Sionil José, Rolando Tinio, Severino Montano, José García Villa, Edith Tiempo, to name a few.
In addition to books collected by Purita, the library’s collection is continuously growing through donations from local and international researchers and partner institutions.
Should you wish to inquire about a specific title in our collection or if we have books related to your research topic, please email klfi_pklcenter@yahoo.com and klfi.pklcenter@gmail.com.
Please note that books and other publications are for room-use only.
To visit the library, please fill out our Visit Us Form here.
