One of the first Abstractionists on the Philippine art scene, Manansala is also credited with bridging the gap between the city and the suburbs, between the rural and cosmopolitan ways of life.

In 1949, Manansala received a six-month grant from UNESCO to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Banff and Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

[3] Manansala developed transparent cubism, wherein the "delicate tones, shapes, and patterns of figure and environment are masterfully superimposed".

Manansala, a National Artist of the Philippines in Visual Arts, was a direct influence to his fellow Filipino neo-realists: Malang, Angelito Antonio, Norma Belleza and Manuel Baldemor.

Holy Angel University recently opened a section of its museum called The Vicente Manansala Collection, holding most of the estate left by the artist.[when?]