Biography
Amelia Toledo (b. 1926, São Paulo, Brazil - d. 2017, Cotia, Brazil) started studying visual arts at the end of the 1930s, as she began to frequent Anita Malfatti’s studio. During the following decade, she continued her studies with Yoshiya Takaoka and Waldemar da Costa. In 1948, she started working as a project designer for the architecture studio Vilanova Artigas. Her encounters with iconic figures of Brazilian Modern Art encouraged her to develop a multifaceted oeuvre, entwining diverse artistic languages such as sculpture, painting and printmaking, which further flourished through her contact with other artists of her generation including Mira Schendel, Tomie Ohtake, Hélio Oiticica and Lygia Pape.
Amelia Toledo's diverse practice in terms of media, reveals the artist's investigative ambition to seek an expanded understanding of artistic possibilities. Starting in the 1970s, the artist’s production transcended its constructive grammar - characterized by geometric elements and curves -, turning instead to organic shapes. Toledo began to collect various materials, such as shells and stones, making her surrounding landscape a fundamental element in her practice. In parallel, Toledo’s paintings took on monochromatic characteristics, revealing her interest in investigating color and its behavior.
Amelia Toledo has participated in many exhibitions in Brazil and internationally. Recently her works were presented in solo shows as: Amelia Toledo: 1958-2007, at Nara Roesler (2021), in New York, USA; Amelia Toledo – Lembrei que esqueci, at Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (CCBB-SP) (2017), in São Paulo, Brazil; Amelia Toledo, at Estação Pinacoteca (2009), in São Paulo, Brazil; Novo olhar, at Museu Oscar Niemeyer (2007), in Curitiba, Brazil; and Viagem ao coração da matéria, at Instituto Tomie Ohtake (2004), in São Paulo, Brazil. Main recent group exhibitions include: Radical Women: Latin American Art, 1960–1985, at Hammer Museum (2017), in Los Angeles, USA; at Brooklyn Museum (2018), in New York, USA; at Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (2018), in São Paulo, Brazil; Modos de ver o Brasil: Itaú Cultural 30 anos, at Oca (2017), in São Paulo, Brazil; 30x Bienal: Transformações na arte brasileira da 1ª à 30ª edição, at Fundação Bienal de São Paulo (2013), in São Paulo, Brazil; Um ponto de ironia, at Fundação Vera Chaves Barcellos (2011), in Viamão, Brazil; and Brasiliana MASP: Moderna contemporânea, at Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP) (2006), in São Paulo, Brazil; 29ª Bienal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil (2010); 10ª Bienal do Mercosul, Porto Alegre, Brazil (2015). Her works are part of major permanent museum collections such as: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon, Portugal; Instituto Itaú Cultural, São Paulo, Brazil; Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo (MAM-SP), São Paulo, Brazil; Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP), São Paulo, Brazil; and Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; among others.
Exhibitions
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co/respondências
núcleo curatorial nara roesler 23.3 - 31.5.2024Nara Roesler São Paulo is pleased to present Co/respondences, a group exhibition curated by Nara Roesler Curatorial Project, which brings together works by important Brazilian...Read more -
amelia's journey in the flow of Rio
amelia toledo 12.9 - 4.11.2023Nara Roesler Rio de Janeiro is pleased to present 'O rio (e o voo) de Amelia no Rio' the first solo exhibition of Amelia Toledo...Read more -
co/respondences: brazil and abroad
luis pérez-oramas 22.6 - 25.8.2023Galeria Nara Roesler New York is pleased to present Co/respondences: Brazil and Abroad , a group show curated by Luis Pérez-Oramas where works by major...Read more -
amelia toledo: 1958–2007
amelia toledo 25.2 - 17.4.2021Nara Roesler is pleased to announce Amelia Toledo’s inaugural solo exhibition in the United States, at the gallery’s new location in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood,...Read more
News
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aberto 03
5.8.2024In this edition, the exhibition will take place, for the first time, in two iconic houses from the 1970s and owned by two women: artist...Read more -
amelia toledo: paisagem cromática
amelia toledo 8.4.2024The Brazilian Museum of Sculpture and Ecology presents Amelia Toledo: Chromatic Landscape , a solo exhibition by the artist, curated by Fernando Limberger and Daniela...Read more -
lua nova
amelia toledo 21.3.2024Amelia Toledo participates in the group exhibition LUA NOVA, with a critical text by Daniela Avellar. The exhibition will be on view from March 23...Read more -
antes e agora, longe e aqui dentro
amelia toledo, paulo bruscky e tomie ohtake 21.3.2024Curated by Galciani Neves, the exhibition Antes e agora, longe e aqui dentro at the Oscar Niemeyer Museum presents a dialog between its collection and...Read more -
condenado ao moderno?
amelia toledo, antonio dias, laura vinci e paulo bruscky 1.6.2022Amelia Toledo, Antonio Dias, Laura Vinci, and Paulo Bruscky are part of the exhibition “Condenado ao Moderno?”, Carlos Alexandre's curatorial view on the Dulce and...Read more