Francisco Toledo, who shook the Mexican art scene in the 1960s with his new approach to painting, sculpture, printing, weaving and preserving cultural heritage, died yesterday at the age of 79.
"The world of art is sad," Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Twitter.
“Prof. Francisco Toledo, a stunning painter and preacher of the advancement of culture, a true defender of nature and the customs and traditions of our people, died. Let him rest in peace. ''
The work of Toledo, filled with monkeys, insects and skeletons in earthy colors, reflects his affiliation with Mexico's indigenous people and his love for nature.
It also represents a departure from the murals, which were heavily influenced by the conflicts that dominated the landscape during most of the first half of the 20th century.
With his disheveled hair, loose-fitting clothes and a tendency to wear leather sandals, Toledo was a staunch defender of the culture of his native Oaxaca, the stronghold of the Zapotec, one of Mexico's indigenous peoples.
In 2005 Toledo was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, known as the Alternative Nobel Prize, "for devoting his life and art to the protection and improvement of heritage, the environment and the life of the communities of his birthplace in Oaxaca."
Christie's said it had sold Toledo's "egg-turtle" for over $ 1 million.