Philippine Tatler – August 2018

ACE-ING IT

(Opposite)

PULL Pavilion

by AFGH for

Wallpaper and

artwork by

Studio Job

Privacy, to Robbie Antonio, is as sacred as the artworks of masters that

he possesses. Recognised as one of the most important collectors of

modern art (he is part of the World’s Top 100 Art Collectors for 2016, as

reported by Artnet), invited to major art fora all over the world, Antonio

created quite a stir in 2013 when Vanity Fair discussed his home in Manila,

designed by no less than Pritzker Prize-winning Dutch architect Rem

Koolhaas himself. The buzz that Antonio created was both a PR agent’s

dream and a challenge. But it cannot be denied that at the end of the day,

and in the years that followed, people continued to talk about him.

He has only ever given a peek of his

home to the media (like a photo of his

stairs appearing in Surface magazine). But

now, for Philippine Tatler, Antonio opens

up more of his home, though still not in

its entirety—then again, more than he

has ever allowed for any other medium.

The graciousness, however, comes with a

plethora of do’s and don’ts, to include the

number of people allowed inside his much

talked about and speculated on home: One.

While magazine cover shoots usually

command a cast of art directors, stylists,

assistants, make-up artists, set designers,

light men, and the photographer, Antonio

would not have any of this. From the

get-go he laid down his non-negotiable

requirement: only the photographer will be

allowed in.

So, what you see in these pages is just

what Antonio is willing to show—but it’s

already quite an eyeful. The dramatic and

dazzling works positioned on his lawn

and in his basement overwhelm an artistic

appetite. Add the names of the artists

behind them and the headiness turns into

a yearning to see more.

At the negotiating table, however,

Antonio (who is the founder and president

of Antonio Development in New York and

founder and CEO of Revolution Precrafted)

morphs into an entirely different creature.

ONE DAY BEFORE a European

roadshow that will take Antonio and his

team to 54 meetings in six cities in 10

days, the office of Revolution Precrafted

is a beehive, not quite the milieu of

a private person. Clearly, Antonio has

transformed into his other personas: the

master negotiator, the visionary with a lot

to say, the game changer. The alpha male

talks to everyone on his staff or shoots

orders from his room. He has everyone on

philippine tatler. august 2018 151