Tosia Malamud

Tosia Malamud (March 17, 1923 – July 16, 2008) was a Mexican sculptor of Ukrainian origin, one of the first female graduates of Mexico's Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas. Her family immigrated to Mexico when she was four, and her talent for art appeared early. She went to art college against her parents' wishes, graduating in 1943. Because of family obligations, her career did not begin until the mid-1950s with two important exhibitions that brought her style to the attention of critics. From then until her death, she exhibited her work in Mexico and abroad. She also created large and small works for public spaces. In addition to depictions of notable people, she created works mostly dealing with maternity, family and childhood which can be found in places such as the Museo de Arte Moderno and the Hospital Siglo XXI in Mexico City. La familia has become iconic for Mexico's Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social and Viento for the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Morelia.

Life Malamud was born on March 17, 1923, in Vinnytsia, Ukraine as the younger child of Isaac Malamud and Liza Bakal. The family fled the country to escape the Soviet government in 1927, when she was four years old. They arrived in Mexico the same year, and there her father began the first newspaper in print shop in Yiddish where a notable book called “Di Drai Vegn” (The Three Paths) was published as well as the works of poets such as Itzjak Berliner, Yacov Glatz and Moishe Glikovsky.

Malamud attended primary and middle school in Mexico and showed interest and talent in art at a very young age. In middle school, she had the opportunity to work in ceramics, where she surprised her teacher as her ability to mold human figures. She finished the five-year program in only three years, becoming one of the first female graduates from the school along with Helen Escobedo, Ángela Gurría and Geles Cabrera. Major early exhibitions include one at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in 1959 and an exhibition of sculptures at the Olympic Village for the 1968 Summer Olympics. During the latter event, one of the pieces, La maternidad (Maternity) was stolen and recovered and today can be seen at the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City. This event was a retrospective held in conjunction with the release of her autobiography, but the artist could not attend because of her health.

Her work can be found in both private and public collections in both Mexico and abroad. Some have become icons including La famila at the Hospital Siglo XXI and another called Viento, now the symbol of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Morelia.

Her 1957 sculpture "El beso" (The Kiss) was carved chiluca stone and featured in First National Biennial of Culture of 1962. Mujer reclinada o recostada received an honorable mention at the Second Sculptural Biennial in 1964.

She principally created two kinds of sculpture. The Mexican Diario Judio described her in 2012 as being "considered the country's foremost sculptural portrait artist". Non-bust works mostly focused on themes such as maternity, children, female torsos, bodies in movement and poses indicating reflection. She stated shortly before her death that her main theme was always love in its various forms because she felt it was the basis of life. These works have been classified as abstract figurativism and were done in bronze, stone and wood. However, they show influence from neo figurativism, impressionism, cubism, fantasy art and semi abstract art. Although she was not part of the Mexican muralism movement, her art was also influenced by Mexican culture, especially its pre-Hispanic elements.