Mujer con serpiente y pájaro (Woman with Serpent and Bird)

Toledo stressed his position as an autonomous artist, free from the restraints of any specific artistic movement. While not directly associated with the Generación de la Ruptura, Toledo’s oeuvre was critical for the renovation of Mexican art in the mid-late 20th century and is considered one of the most important Latin American artists of his time. Born in Juchitán, Oaxaca, the iconography and folklore of Toledo’s hometown became central to the evolution of his style. Toledo’s work represents a synthesis of traditional Mexican icons and visual vocabulary with modernist forms and techniques. Elements of Mexico’s pre-Hispanic past thereby finds visual expression in his contemporary work that is celebrated for its mystical, ethereal quality. Like many of his contemporaries, Toledo engaged in neo-figuration and manipulated the human figure by creating anthropomorphic creatures that blended man and beast to produce modern mythical beings.