FRANCISCO TOLEDO. FÁBULAS, MITOS, Y MAGIA: THE MEMORY OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND CONTEMPORARY MEXICO
The Pablo Goebel Fine Arts Gallery presents the work of master artist Francisco Toledo, a central figure in contemporary Mexican art. This exhibition celebrates the artistic legacy of the Oaxacan artist and revisits his exploration of the indigenous world, ancestral myths, and his unwavering commitment to his community.
Francisco Toledo. Fábulas, Mitos y Magia (Francisco Toledo: Fables, Myths, and Magic), open to the public until February 23, 2025, features 124 pieces. It allows visitors to immerse themselves in Toledo's fantastic universe, where animals such as bats, insects, toads, monkeys, turtles, lizards, deer, rabbits, fish, goats, and cows inhabit a world rich in symbolism and textures that evoke the Zapotec worldview. These creatures come to life as representatives of a "fantastic zoology," intertwining nature and art to create profound and provocative narratives.
Carefully curated to include works spanning six decades of his prolific career, the show highlights the diversity of mediums and techniques the artist explored. The Oaxacan artist was a celebrated painter, printmaker, and sculptor, as well as an interdisciplinary master who experimented with materials such as clay, sand, seeds, stone, pigments from the earth and minerals, handmade paper, and fossils. His work merges Western techniques—oil, watercolor, gouache, lithography, and engraving—with natural elements and artisanal rituals, creating a constant dialogue between the ancestral and the contemporary.
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Toledo. Escorpiones azules, ca.1990. Gouache y tinta sobre papel. 28 x 19.2 cm. Cortesía de la galería Pablo Goebel Fine Arts
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Toledo. Alacranes y tortugas, ca. 1975. Gouache sobre papel. 46.8 x 60.7 cm. Cortesía de la galería Pablo Goebel Fine Arts
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Toledo. Acuarela, tinta y collage sobre papel. 69.9 x99.5 cm. Cortesía de la galería Pablo Goebel Fine Arts
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Toledo. Autorretrato LX, 2006. Pastel y hoja de hora sobre papel. 43.3 x 34.1 cm. Cortesía de la galería Pablo Goebel Fine Arts
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Toledo. Xquite gubidxa, 1973. Técnica mixta sobre papel. 39.4 x 44.9 cm. Cortesía de la galería Pablo Goebel Fine Arts
The influence of indigenous traditions and rituals was central to his work, as was his keen insight into the contradictions of modernity. Toledo navigates two worlds: the collective memory of indigenous peoples and contemporary Mexico, rife with tensions and anachronisms. His work, always provocative, transgressive, and sometimes irreverent, invites viewers to reflect on the richness and complexity of cultural identity.
This exhibition, organized in collaboration with private and institutional collectors, offers a unique opportunity to experience a portion of Toledo's immense creative richness and diversity. From ceramics, sculptures, engravings, and tapestries to drawings, watercolors, and paintings that blend the dreamlike with the mundane, each piece reflects Toledo's ability to transform the everyday into something magical.
Francisco Toledo. Fábulas, Mitos y Magia is on view through February 23, 2025 at the Pablo Goebel Fine Arts Gallery, Taine 212, Polanco, Mexico City (Mexico).
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