Jose Francisco Borges

Brazil

Year(s) attended: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

Tesoros Trading Company

Woodblock Prints and Chapbooks

José Borges, one of Latin America’s most celebrated folk artists, wields his knife and piece of wood in his humble workshop, attracting collectors and curators from around the world. Considered an unlettered folk poet, Jose has more than 200 cordel, or chapbook, titles to his name and is still writing. He was one of the original cordelistas to produce larger format woodblock prints for sale in the mid 1960’s. His Xilogravura woodblock style has become one of Brazil’s most loved folk arts and has spawned a tradition in Northeastern Brazil that now involves more than a score of woodblock artists, including his nephew Abraao Bautista Bezerro.