Ang Kiu Kok

Early life and training Ang was born on March 1, 1931, in Davao , Davao Province, Philippines to Vicente Ang and Chin Lim who were immigrants from Xiamen, China. Ang was the only son in his family and he had four sisters. He was originally intended to be named Ang Hua Shing ("Hua Shing" literally means "Chinese-born") but did not push through with the plan upon learning that his cousin was given the name by his uncle. He moved to Manila and attended the University of Santo Tomas where one of his mentors was Vicente Manansala. The ceremonial conferment of the honor to Ang and three other artists - F. Sionil Jose (literature), Ishmael Bernal (film) and Severino Montano (theater arts) - was held on June 11, 2001.

Legacy and death The grave of Ang Kiukok at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.In the end, Ang emerged not only as a critical favorite, but a commercially popular artist as well. Upon his death from cancer on May 9, 2005, it was reported that he and fellow National Artist Fernando Amorsolo were the most widely bidded after Filipino painters in auctions. Ang's 1979 mural "Men at Work" is declared in 2021 as an Important Cultural Property by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. It is currently displayed in the National Museum of the Philippines. This white and black semiabstract mural depicts muscular humans engaging in physical work, representing the strength of the labor force.