Works by Francisco Toledo made in Paris are exhibited for the first time

Oaxaca, Oax., Forty-one unpublished works made by the Juchiteco artist Francisco Toledo (1940-2019) during his stay in Paris, France, make up the exhibition Toledo Graphic, 1976-1987which opened yesterday at the Institute of Graphic Arts of Oaxaca (Iago).

Hazam Jara, director of the facility, told The Day 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 it is now part of its heritage.

He explained that when the exhibition was worked on Toledo Ve, which commemorates the fifth anniversary of the master’s death, the painter’s family and Iago planned to mount this exhibition, which, for the most part, is made up of lithographs made when the painter lived 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 made the 41 pieces that make up the present exhibition, in which, among 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 last years he focused on darker tones. This probably had to do with his period of life in Paris, but also because of the currents to which he was exposed, even because of the colors that he was able to use at that time in the Clot, Bramsen & George workshop.Jara commented.

On a personal level, the IAGO director added, 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 you can see a variety of tones rarely seen in his work..

The collection presented is mostly made up of lithographs where you can observe the artist’s imagination; There are lizards, toads, elephants, and even in one piece you can see the face of the honored man of the Americas, Benito Juárez García. Furthermore, 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, since they are in a private collection they were not known by experts. of his work.

For this reason, he invited everyone to come to IAGO and learn about this stage of the master, which also shows his early work regarding lithography, as he dedicated himself more to engraving, painting and other types of techniques.

The 41 pieces, which are already part of the collection of the Francisco Toledo AC collection, will be exhibited until the end of April at the Institute of Graphic Arts of Oaxaca.

Also activist and philanthropist Francisco Toledo died in 2019; As he marks his fifth death anniversary 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 San Agustín Arts Center and at the Iago (integrated for more than 700 pieces).

Toledo’s presence was fundamental at the last International Cervantino Festival, in Guanaguato, where eight samples were presented. Likewise, at the Manuel Álvarez Bravo Photography Center, in the Oaxacan capital, the exhibition was presented Ve Toledowith photographs taken of Francisco Toledo throughout his life.