The Life and Times of Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Purissima Benitez-Johannot, Clarissa O. Chikiamco, et. alPurita Kalaw Ledesma, founder of the Art Association of the Philippines, was a towering and extraordinary figure in the development of Philippine art for more than five decades after the war and well into the postmodern era. In her manifold personas as patron, benefactor, community leader, educator, and cognoscenta, Purita as she was affectionately known can be rightfully considered, along with Arturo Luz, Fernando Zobel, and Roberto Chabet, as one of