Lêda Watson

Biography:

Lêda Watson is a Brazilian artist, graduated in Plastic Arts from the National School of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro, Paris (Ecole Nationale de Beaux Arts-Sorbonne), and Brasília (UnB). She specialized in metal engraving in Rio de Janeiro (Escolinha de Arte do Brasil – Orlando Dasilva) and Paris (Atelier Friedlaender). In 1969, she graduated from the Superior Course of French Language and Literature at the University of Nancy. She lived in France for four years, where she received great reception from French art editors, selling numerous closed editions, represented today in the collection of prints at the Bibliothéque Nationale de Paris. She was invited by the Societé des Femmes Bibliophiles to illustrate a book of Jules Laforgue's stories, which had previously been illustrated by Dalí. Returning to Brazil, she installed her studio in Brasília and continued to maintain contact with her French editors. As an art educator, she taught metal engraving courses and lectures at the University of Lima (Peru), University of Brasília, National School of Arts (Nicaragua), University of Heredia (Costa Rica), Central University of Venezuela (Caracas) and Contemporary Art Museum in Panama City. Encouraged to continue teaching engraving, after an extension course taught at the University of Brasília (UnB), she created her Engraving School, in her own studio, where she dedicated herself to training new engravers for over 12 years (1975-1987). She then created the 1st Nucleus of Gravurers of Brasilia and later the Engraving Club (1989), bringing together mostly professional engravers from the Federal District.