Mexican artist and activist, Francisco Toledo's 81st Birthday

 

Francisco Benjamín López Toledo, also known as, Francisco Toledo, and as Francisco “El Maestro” Toledo, was a Mexican artist and activist, widely regarded as, one of the most influential artists in modern Mexican history.

An activist, as well as an artist, he promoted the artistic culture and heritage, of his home state of Oaxaca. Toledo, was considered part of the Breakaway Generation, of Mexican art.

Francisco Toledo, was born on 17 July, 1940, in Juchitán, Oaxaca, the heartland of the Indigenous Zapotec civilization. His remarkable talent for drawing, was noticed at just 9 years old, and by 19, he hosted his first solo exhibition.

Toledo set off to Paris, to pursue, sculpting, painting, and printmaking, in the 1960s. 

He returned to Oaxaca in 1965, where his craft and activism played an instrumental role, in the transformation of the, southern Mexican state, into the heart of the international art community. 

Toledo first garnered widespread acclaim during this era, with a watercolor series, of animal-human hybrids, which established his trademark style, rooted in Indigenous art traditions, Zapotec mythology, and inspiration from the work of masters, such as Francisco Goya. 

For nearly seven decades, Toledo produced around 9,000 works. Francisco Toledo, died on 5 September, 2019, at the age of 79. Today, his legacy endures in libraries, art institutions, and museums he founded in Oaxaca, many of which are free to enter.

On his birthday today, we must thank Francisco Toledo, for safeguarding Zapotec Oaxacan heritage, for new generations!