Forty-one unpublished works made by the artist from Juchiteco Francisco Toledo (1940-2019) during his stay in Paris, France, make up the exhibition Gráfica Toledo, 1976-1987, which opened yesterday at the Institute of Graphic Arts of Oaxaca (Iago).
Hazam Jara, director of the venue, told La Jornada that this collection has never been exhibited anywhere, as it was part of a private collection; however, the Francisco Toledo Civil Association recovered it and now it is part of its heritage.
He explained that when the Toledo Ve exhibition was being worked on, which commemorates the fifth anniversary of the death of the master, the painter’s family and the Iago planned to mount this exhibition, which, for the most part, is made up of lithographs made when the painter resided in the French capital.
He indicated that during his stay in that country, the artist worked in the renowned Clot, Bramsen & George workshop, where he created the 41 pieces that make up the present exhibition, in which, among other things, the diversity of colors used stands out, including a magenta not characteristic of his later work.
There are tones that Toledo did not use again, since even in his later years he focused on darker tones. This probably had to do with his time in Paris, but also because of the currents to which he was exposed, including the colors that he was able to use at that time in the Clot, Bramsen & George workshop, Jara commented.
On a personal level, added the director of the IAGO, it was surprising to see these works, since during the time I worked with the master I only saw works with black colors; however, here we see a variety of tones rarely seen in his work.
The collection that is presented is mostly made up of lithographs where the artist’s imagination can be observed; There are lizards, toads, elephants, and even the face of the worthy man of the Americas, Benito Juárez García, in one piece. In addition, his print runs were abnormally high, 50, 74, even 100, when his graphic work rarely exceeded 30.
Jara insisted on pointing out that with this exhibition, the work of Francisco Toledo, founder of the Institute of Graphic Arts of Oaxaca, can be rediscovered, because although they are works that are more than 40 years old, as they are in a private collection, they were not known by the experts of his work.
For this reason, he invited everyone to come to the IAGO and learn about this stage of the master, which also shows his early work regarding lithographs, as he dedicated himself more to engraving, painting and other types of techniques.
The 41 pieces, which are already part of the Francisco Toledo AC collection, will be on display until the end of April at the Institute of Graphic Arts of Oaxaca.
The activist and philanthropist Francisco Toledo passed away in 2019. On the fifth anniversary of his death in 2024, his family, friends and the institutions he founded paid him a vast tribute throughout the year through exhibitions presented not only at the Centro de las Artes de San Agustín and at the Iago (made up of more than 700 pieces).
Toledo’s presence was fundamental in the last International Cervantino Festival, in Guanaguato, where eight exhibitions were presented. Likewise, at the Manuel Álvarez Bravo Photographic Center, in the Oaxacan capital, the exhibition Ve Toledo was presented, with photographs taken of Francisco Toledo throughout his life.
Source: jornada
