Cruzeiro Seixas

CRUZEIRO SEIXAS - Biography 

1920 - Artur Manuel Rodrigues do Cruzeiro Seixas is born in Amadora. Stating he is not a painter but a man who paints. 

1945 - Expressionist-neo-realist fase. 

 1947 - First «objects». 

1948 - Takes part in the Surrealists activity of António Maria Lisboa, Mário Cesariny, Mário Henrique Leiria, Pedro Oom, Fernando José Francisco, Risques Pereira, Fernando Alves dos Santos, Carlos Eurico da Costa, Carlos Calvet and António Paulo Tomás. 

1949 and 1950 - Exhibition «Os Surrealistas». Drawn to  Africa he enlists on the Navy - Travels to India and the Orient.  1952 - Moves to Angola. Travels the country, creating a ethnographic collection. First poems.

1953 and 1959 - Exhibitions in Luanda that start one of the biggest opinion movements that appear in the newspapers of the time. The first, a collection of drawings that evoque Aimé Cesaire. The second mainly of «objects» and «colages», in a setting that included all the space of a XVII century house in ruins.

1955 - António Maria Lisboa dies; executes «Retrato Homenagem», included in «Verticalidade e a Chave» edition.  1960 - His interest in museology leads him to a job in Museu de Angola, creating there a painting salon. About Africa  he says - It was a fully matched love.

1964 -  Returns to Europe after the start of the colonial war.

1968 - Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation scholarship holder – discovers Goya and Gaudi.

1967 - Small retrospective in Galeria Bucholz, with preface by Rui Mário Gonçalves. Together with Cesariny exhibits in Porto, in Galeria Divulgação. 

1970 and 1972 - Individual exhibitions in Galeria de São Mamede, with prefaces by Cesariny, Laurens Vancrevel and Herberto Helder.

1973 - Publishing of the book «Cruzeiro Seixas», by Mário Cesariny, from the “Escritores e Artistas de Hoje” collection. 

1975 - Exhibits his Africa guaches (from 1954/58) in Galeria da Emenda with Alberto Lacerda and Hellmut Wohl presentation. Executes tapestry cards for Portalegre manufacture. Together with Samouco, Raúl Perez, Laurens Vancrevel, Paula Rego, Mário Botas, amongst others, creates the «cadavres-exquis» and «pinturas colectivas» series that result in a group exhibition in Galeria Ottolini to celebrate the fifty years of the Surrealist Revolution. 

1972, 1974 and 1976 - Participates in group exhibitions in Paris, Brasil, Brussels, Chicago, London, Madrid, Germany and Mexico.

1977 - exhibits in Amsterdão with Raúl Perez and Philip West.

1985 - Is invited by Artur Schwarz for the Venice Bienal, but for reasons against his will and those in charge of it, he does not participate.

1986 - Cruzeiro Seixas «Eu Falo em Chamas» book of poems is edited, with André Coyné presentation.

1989 -  Is awarded with SOCTIP «Artista do Ano», which is followed by the publication of the very complete album, thoroughly illustrated «Cruzeiro Seixas», about the artist life and work. 

1993 - Donates a considerable part of the collections of his world as well as several documentation to the Biblioteca Nacional e do Livro. Visits Bordado, the «Palais Idéal» of Facteur Cheval and the Castel de La Coste. 

1995 - Solo exhibition in Galeria São Mamede «Homenagem a Mário Henrique Leiria» prefaced by Ernesto Sampaio, to finance the non profit publishing of «Claridade dada pelo Tempo», «Climas Ortopédicos» and «Pas pour les Parents».

1999 - Donates his entire collection to Fundação Cupertino de Miranda, de V. N. de Famalicão, with the goal of creating the “Centro de Estudos do Surrealismo” and the  “Museu do Surrealismo.”

2000 - Editing of the album «O que a Luz Oculta»with Cruzeiro Seixas’ drawings and poems. His poems are also compiled in a book with the title «Retrato sem Rosto» by the Centro de Estudos do Surrealismo, da Fundação Cupertino de Miranda, with the headquarters in Vila Nova de Famalicão, where a very big retrospective exhibitions of homage to Cruzeiro Seixas’ 80th birthday takes place. This exhibition also results in a biography album «Cruzeiro Seixas» with 150 reproductions of his works. 

2001 - edition of Cruzeiro Seixas’ books: «Viagem sem Regresso» of poems and drawings. Luxury edition in album format accompanied by a serigraphy; «Galeria de Espejos - Galeria de Espelhos» prefaced book of poems translated to spanish by Perfecto E. Cuadrado; «Local Onde o Mar Naufragou»; Also in Galeria Sacramento, Aveiro, a group exhibition with Eugenio Granell takes place and a catalogue in the book format is made; In Fundación Eugenio Granell, Santiago de Compostela, a big retrospective exhibition takes place with a biographic book «Cruzeiro Seixas» being published, with many illustrations and texts in galosh, portuguese, spanish and english. 

2002 -  Museu do Chiado, Coimbra, organizes a exhibition with works of Cruzeiro Seixas that belong to local collectors. The poetry book «Artur do Cruzeiro Seixas - Obra Poética vol. I» is edited.

2003 - Cruzeiro Seixas’ restrospective exhibition in Centro de Arte e Espectáculos da Figueira da Foz. In Galeria Municipal Artur Bual, Amadora, another retrospective exhibition of tribute to Cruzeiro Seixas takes place. Together with Raúl Perez he exhibits in Galeria São Mamede.

2005 - “Fauna, Flora e Arte”, exhibition in Galeria São Mamede, Oporto.

2008 -  “Obra plástica”, retrospective exhibition, Gal Vieira da Silva, Câmara Municipal Loures. “Isto não é uma exposição de arte”, Museu Municipal Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso

 2009 - “O Infinito Segredo”, Galeria São Mamede, Lisboa e Porto.

Tapeçaria e Desenho, Reitoria da Universidade de Lisboa In 2009 participates in the documentary “Cruzeiro Seixas – O Vício da Liberdade”,

by Alberto Serra and Ricardo Espírito Santo, seen in RTP 2 in February of 2010.

Ilustrations execution for several books such as: «A Afixação Proibida» by António Maria Lisboa, «A Cidade Queimada» and «Titânia» by Mário Cesariny, «Antologia Erótica e Satírica» by Natália Correia, «Kunst en Anarchie» by Edgar Wind (Holanda), «Casos de Direito Galáctico» by Mário Henrique Leiria, «História Trágico Marítimo» and «Mulher de Luto» by Gomes Leal or «Le Livre du Tigre» by Isabel Meyrelles. 

Participates in several group exhibition such as: 1979 «Presencia Viva de Wolfgang Paalen» in Mexico Museum (Mexico city); 1984 «Le Surréalisme Portugais» organized by Moura Sobral, Canada (Montreal); 1994 «O Rosto da Máscara» Centro Cultural de Belém (Lisbon), «Surrealismo ou Não» in Galeria São Mamede (Lisboa) and Portalegre tapestries with Eugenio Granell in Lisbon; 1997 «Le Surréalisme et l’Amour», Pavillon des Artes, France (Paris); 1998 «O que há de Português na Arte Moderna Portuguesa», Palácio Foz (Lisbon);1999 «Desenhos de Surrealistas em Portugal», Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis (Oporto) and “Confrontos” with Carlos Calvet and Manuel Moura in Ler Devagar (Lisbon); 2000 «Le Mouvement Phases de 1952 à l’horizon 2000» France, travelling exhibition, «Neo-realismo Versus Surrealismo», Galeria Municipal de Vila Franca de Xira (Póvoa de Sta. Iria) and «Parenté n’est pas hériditaire (Surréalisme et Liberté)» Czech Republic, travelling exhibition; 2001 «Surrealismo em Portugal 1934-1952», Museo Extremeño Iberoamericano de Arte Contemporáneo, Spain (Badajoz), later in Museu do Chiado, Lisbon and in Fundação Cupertino de Miranda, Vila Nova de Famalicão, or «Os passos lado a lado», Hospital Júlio de Matos,together with three artists living in the establishment.

Between 1968 and 1974 directing Galeria São Mamede and from 1976 to 1983 the Galeria da Junta de Turismo do Estoril, as well as the Galeria de Vilamoura, no Algarve between 1985 and 1988. 

He created sets for the Companhia Nacional de Bailado and for the Companhia de Bailado de Gulbenkian. 

Colaborations in the french surrealist magazines «Phases», the dutch «Brumes Blondes» and the canadian «La Turtue-Lièvre» 

In the last years, galleries such as Gilde (Guimarães), SOCTIP (Lisbon), Constância (Constância), Presença (Oporto), Neupergama (Torres Novas), S. Bento (Lisbon), Almadarte (Costa da Caparica), Funchália (Funchal), São Mamede (Lisbon and Oporto), Adjectivo (Santarém), Lumière Noir (Montreal - Canada) or ArteManifesto (Oporto) have all held individual exhibitions from the artist.

From Cruzeiro Seixas’ works, the sculptures Alberto Trindade and Bruno Redige have been executing several sculptures.

He has written several prefaces, from which we can name the ones he wrote for exhibitions of Cesariny in 1969, Raúl Perez in 1981, Philip West in 1988 and Eugenio Granell in 1996.

Short Bibliography: «A Intervenção Surrealista», from Mário Cesariny, 1954; «Cruzeiro Seixas por Mário Cesariny», 1967; «A Fala» (Brasil), 1967; «La Parola Interdeta - Poeti Surrealisti Pottoghesi» from Antonio Tabucchi, 1971; «O Surrealismo na Poesia Portuguesa» from Natália Correia, 1975; «Dictionaire Géneral du Surrealisme et ses Environs» (Office du Livre, França), 1982; «A Arte Portuguesa do Século XX» (CD ROM), 1998; «Dados»  Eugenio Granell and Cruzeiro Seixas drawings and poems (Menú-Quadernos de Poesia, Cuenca - Espanha), 1998; «Histoire du Mouvement Surréaliste» from Gerard Duroye; «You are Welcome to Elsinore» de Perfecto Cuadrado (Mallorca - Espanha); «The Imagery of Surrealism» by J. H. Matthews; «Le Surrealisme» (Dictionaire de Poche, França) from José Pierre; etc..

Mário Cesariny, Herberto Helder, Alfredo Margarido, Mário Botas, Franklin Rosemont, José Pierre, Juan Carlos Valera, Bernardo Pinto de Almeida, Albano Martins, António Barahona, amongst others have all dedicated poems to him.

He is represented in several private collections as well as institutions such as Museu do Chiado (Lisbon), Centro de Arte Moderna da Fundação Caloust Gulbenkian, Biblioteca Nacional, Biblioteca de Tomar, Fundação Cupertino de Miranda (V. N. de Famalicão), Museu Machado de Castro (Coimbra), Fundação António Prates, (Ponte de Sor), Fundación Eugenio Granell (Galiza), or Museu de Castelo Branco.