Francisco Toledo

Available Works

Francisco Toledo is widely regarded as the most important, elusive and controversial artist working in Mexico today. As exemplified in the new body of work, Toledo’s art draws on human, animal and mineral life and explores both indigenous, Zapotec, and worldwide cultures. He freely associates direct observations from nature with metaphors from literature and art. The works of Blake, Ensor, Goya and the writings of Kafka and Borges have been especially influential.

A protege of Rufino Tamayo, Toledo traveled and lived in Europe, where he worked briefly with William Stanley Hayter. He is a printmaker, painter and sculptor. Toledo is also a great patron of the arts in Oaxaca, his native state, where he, as the driving force behind Oaxaca’s cultural renaissance, has founded museums and art centers. Toledo is passionately engaged with the history and religion of the indigenous Mexican peoples. His work deals with themes of creation, potency, sensuality and metamorphosis, and is often located in the worlds of the spirit where animals and humans freely commingle.

• Related Links: Juan Alcazar Mendez, Artemio Rodriguez