Y Gallery is pleased to present the first solo show in New York of master Peruvian painter, José Tola. Tola is considered an institution in the contemporary art world of Peru, and his controversial work is a legacy for younger generations of artists. After returning from studies in Spain, he faced rapid recognition and success as an emerging artist, winning important awards and an inclusion in the 1st Exhibition of Contemporary Painting from the Andes alongside artists such as Fernando Botero, Oswaldo Guayasamín and Fernando de Szyszlo, who each went on to become distinguished virtuousos of South American painting in their own right.

José Tola: An Anthology features a selection of paintings, drawings and sculptures, compelling viewers to appreciate the work of an auteur who has developed a distinguished eminence over a 40 years career. Tola’s work inspects the psychology of human behavior by presenting soulful and conflicted characters imbued with varying dispositions as they demand a powerful presence within the gallery space. Since his earlier work José Tola has experimented with a multitude of materials and their inherent characteristics, such as the ephimerality of cardboard and matches to the more traditional use of oil on canvas. His melancholic mannerisms have been a distinctive component of his work. Numerous myths circulate about the “darkness” of Tola’s artistic persona, and his work has corroborated the sterotype of the enfant terrible. As a result, the encountered experience between viewer and work is none other than confrontational and emotional.

Y Gallery is honored to present for the first time in New York an exhibition by José Tola: an icon of Latin American painting.

José Tola (Lima, 1943) studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, Madrid, Spain, where he graduated with the title of professor of drawing and painting in 1969. His work is part of museums and public collections, such as: World Bank, permanent collection, Washington D.C.,-EE.UU; Museo de Arte Moderno de México, México D.F., Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, México D.F., Museo de Arte de Lima (MALI), Lima-Perú; Centro Cultural Inca Garcilaso, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Lima-Perú; Instituto Cultural Peruano Norteamericano (ICPNA) Lima-Perú; among others.