Claudio Tozzi

Claudio Tozzi is a Brazilian artist born in 1944 in São Paulo, Brazil, who has worked since the 1960s to challenge the political and social culture of Brazil and the world. Through his art he has highlighted the censorship of military dictatorships, the woes of mass media, and the strength of individuals. He participated in the NeoFiguration movement, primarily about to issues experienced by Brazilians. Brazil lived under an oppressive dictatorship for years and the NeoFiguration movement worked to question the physical and social conditions of the era. During his education, he met Mário Schenberg, a physicist and critic, who termed Tozzi's art NeoFiguration; and from there, his interest in figuration grew as he grappled with the political and social landscapes. Tozzi worked in an era of oppressive military dictatorship in Brazil where censorship was persistent and political protests were common. Brazil was under direct control of the military after a coup in 1964; between 1964 and 1985 the military implemented an authoritarian regime to monitor and control the social and political lives of Brazilians. As political protests became more prevalent in the 1960s, Tozzi used more imagery that referenced crowds or political icons, with the common theme of people in protest. Many argue that the move back to figuration occurred during a time of intense political and social unrest in both Europe and the Americas. The movement has been deemed by critics one of the most important in Latin America after the war.

Much of what Tozzi depicts reflects the turbulent political status of Brazil during the period of the authoritarian regime between 1964 and 1985. Crowds, political icons, and protests are some of his recurrent themes. 2017, “Territorios”, Gary Nader Art Centre, March 2 – April 2, 2017

Artworks A Conversa 1967 (Liquitex on canvas glued on plate 74 × 74 cm) Mulher Bebendo 1969 (Screen printing on paper 20 × 20 in) Pelé 1969/1970 (Alkyd paint on eucatex 122 × 121 cm) Cinturão (Belt) 1970 (Liquitex on canvas 94 × 122 cm) USA 2012 (Screen printing on paper 17 × 35.8 in)