Burton Holt has been visiting the Philippines for over 50 years, first in the U.S. Navy and then for many years as a merchant seaman. He began collecting Philippine ethnographic materials in 1973, first baskets and textiles, and then all manner of artifacts. He sailed in Asia for 33 years, the last 15 as Captain, before retiring in 1995. Shortly after, that started a company importing contemporary Philippine decorative materials. At the same time he collected antique furniture and travelled to Cebu, Mindanao, Leyte, Bohol, Negros, Panay and sourcing antiques.

 

He has lent Philippine artifacts for exhibits in several museums - to the Wing Luke Museum, the Washington State History Museum, the Seattle Art Museum, the Yuchengco  Museum in Makati, and the U.P. Baguio Museum in the Cordillera. In 2013, three pieces he had collected were included in the landmark show at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. Titled "Philippines an Archipelago of Exchange,” this exhibit was the first in a major European museum to focus on the arts of the Philippines.