Catalogue Raisonné by Brazilian Artist José Leonilson To Be Released This Year

A catalogue raisonné by Brazilian artist José Leonilson, who died at a very young age in 1993 as the result of AIDS-related complications, will be released by the end of this year. A compilation of over 4,000 works and documents belonging to Leonilson, the catalogue is the result of an initiative that began twenty years ago with the Projeto Leonilson—founded by Leonilson's family and directed by his sister Ana Lenise Dias Fonseca da Silva—centered on surveying Leonilson's artistic legacy. The initiative has been carried out by his family with the help of specialists, including the editor of the catalogue and Brazilian art historian Ricardo Resende. According to reports from São Paulo by Brazilian journalist Silas Marti (Sao Paulo Folha, 26/6/2015*) each work has been subjected to validation by the team, who relied on notes, photographs and sketches of the artist's personal archives to verify the material. According to Resende, "This catalogue will also help to distinguish between sketches, studies and final works."* It is likely that the launching of the catalogue will be accompanied by an exhibition of Leonilson's work organized by the Fundação Edson Queiroz, an institution that has also sponsored the catalogue raisonné and whose headquarters are located in Fortaleza, José Leonilson's hometown.