JULY 17, 1940

MEXICAN ZAPOTEC PAINTER FRANCISCO TOLEDO BORN

Toledo, born in Mexico City, studied at the Escuela de Bellas Artes de Oaxaca and Centro Superior de Artes Applicadas del Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes before living in Paris. His pottery, sculpture, weaving, graphic arts, and paintings all are known for portraying flora and fauna, mythical imagery, and erotic content. Returning to Mexico in 1965, he settled in Oaxaca. Toledo was featured at the Venice Biennale in 1997. His works were shown at the Whitechapel Gallery (London) & Reina Sofia Museum (Madrid) in 2000. In 2017, the Fondo Cultural Banamex published a four-volume catalogue of his work. A cultural conservationist, Toledo helped establish art & music libraries in Oaxaca including at the Instituto de Artes Gráficas & Museo de Arte Contemporáneo. Awards: Mexican National Prize for Arts and Sciences (Premio Nacional de Ciencias y Artes) (1998); Prince Claus Award (2000); Federico Sescosse Prize (2003); and Right Livelihood Award (2005). Toledo died on September 5, 2019.

Sources:  

Daniel Hernandez, “Francisco Toledo Embodied the Activist Soul of Oaxaca,” The New York Times, 9/7/2109, updated 9/8/2019.  Retrieved 10/18/2023, Francisco Toledo Embodied the Activist Soul of Oaxaca - The New York Times (nytimes.com) 

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Photo:  Author unknown, 1/13/2018. Public Domai