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Artur Manuel Rodrigues do Cruzeiro Seixas was born in Amadora on 3rd December of 1920. In 1935, he enrolled at the School of Decorative Arts António Arroio, in Lisbon, where he met, among others, Mário Cesariny, Marcelino Vespeira, António Pimentel Domingues,Fernando José Francisco, Fernando Azevedo and Júlio Pomar. After a phase-expressionist neo-realist, the concerns and the plastic desires release aesthetic and ideological lead Cruzeiro Seixas to embrace project espoused by "The Surrealists", becoming one of the figures reference that group founded in 1947 and led by Mário Cesariny de Vasconcelos. From who took the precepts of "The Surrealists' no more abandoned, remaining faithful to this oneirism figurative poetics which also employed in collages and objects. With Mário Cesariny, António Maria Lisboa, Mário Henriques Leiria, Pedro Oom, Fernando José Francisco, Risques Pereira, Fernando Alves dos Santos, Carlos Eurico da Costa, Carlos Calvet and António Paulo Tomás, participates in First Exhibition "The Surrealists of Lisbon". The following year, participates in the second exhibition "The Surrealists" (Lisbon, French Bookstore) and subscribes to various manifestos and leaves flywheels. In 1951 he enlisted in the Merchant Marine, traveling to India and the Far East, finishing by settling in Angola for twelve years, where he discovered the art called "primitive" in line with the recovery that this art had international modernism. Then held a significant part of his work, drawn, painted, and materialized was written precisely in Luanda who held his first solo exhibition featuring 48 drawings under the evocation of Aimé Cesaire (Cinema of the Restoration,1953). This, in particular, the 2nd exhibition that would carry on the African continent, like all realized that there was huge controversy target. In 1960 begins to work at the Angola Museum curating exhibitions in molds absolutely new to the country. In 1964, with the intensifying of the Colonial War, Cruzeiro Seixas, by disagreement integral to the colonial regime, is seen forced to return to Europe and back Portugal participates in numerous exhibitions. The work that started at the Angola Museum pursues him in Lisbon, where it will be an art consultant of Art Gallery S. Mamede, and later in Estoril (1976-83), addressing Gallery Tourist Board of the Costa del Sol and Vilamoura, the Gallery D'Art (1985-88). During the five years he was artistic consultant Gallery S. Mamede, organized exhibitions, among others, António Areal, Mário Cesariny, Jorge Vieira, Júlio, Carlos Calvet, Paula Rego and Maria Helena Vieira da Silva and contributed greatly to the promotion of emerging artists such as Eurico, Raúl Perez and Mário Botas. Also in this space, for the first time, are shown in country works of Henri Michaux and the Cobra Group. The year 1969 was prolific in exhibitions: participates among others in XII Exhibition Surrealist São Paulo (Brazil), opens with Mário Cesariny Exposure Painting Surrealist in Divulgação Gallery in Porto, again with Cesariny integrates the International Surrealist Exhibition, organized by Laurens Vancrevel in Scheveningen (Netherlands) and, finally, it organized the first retrospective Cruzeiro Seixas at the Buchholz Gallery (Lisbon), with leaf wheel of Peter Oom and Rui Mário Gonçalves preface. In the 70 edits with Cesariny "Reprinted in Five Texts Surrealists Portuguese "," Aphorisms of Teixeira de Pascoaes "and" Contribution to register birth, existence and extinction of Portuguese Surrealist Group. " Participates in several international bodies in surrealist movement, especially those related to Phases Group (led by Édouard Jaguer). Subsequently, gives continue the work started at Gallery S. Mamede cited in galleries Vilamoura Estoril and, for over a decade. In 1999, donated their entire collection to the Foundation Cupertino de Miranda, with view to setting up a Centre for Studies of Surrealism and Museum. In the year Next, the Foundation organized on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Cruzeiro Seixas, a retrospective and tribute to the artist. In 2001 exposes with Eugénio Granell in Gallery Sacramento in Aveiro, this same year, takes place one of his major retrospective exhibition at the Foundation Eugenio Granell (Santiago de Compostela). In the following years, are organized numerous exhibitions of his work around and today, even after you have passed the barrier of ninety years of age, Cruzeiro Seixas continues to expose. Versatile artist, explored, for decades, the infinite poetic Surrealism. Encouraged the renewal of Portuguese art, providing new artists and exhibitions highlight artists and movements in international galleries where he worked; Figured in numerous group and solo exhibitions in Portugal and abroad, refer to "Mayans for April 25," which purported to show the works prohibited by Fascism (1974), an exhibition of paintings and Exquis-Cadavres legal at the 50 Years of Surrealism (Gallery Ottolini, 1975), Exhibition tribute to Conroy Maddox - Surrealism Unlimited (London, 1978), "Living Presence of Wolfgang Paalen" (Mexico, 1979), "Desaforismos" at the Galeria Soctip (1989), Award of the Artist Year established by Art Center SOCTIP); worked as an illustrator, collaborating, for example, the journals surrealists Brumes Blondes (Holland) Phases (France) and La-Turtue Lièvre (Canada) and held, inter alia, illustrations for Anthology Erotic Poetry Portuguese and satirical (of the Medieval Cancioneiros News) Natália Correia of a process that originated with "abuse of press freedom"; Scenarios performed for the National Ballet Company and the Company Ballet Gulbenkian. In the literary field, in addition to the extensive editing of his work poetic, wrote prefaces for exhibitions of his friends and fellow painters. Cruzeiro Seixas is represented in its countless public and private collections. Has exposed regularly collectively in Perve Gallery since its founding (2000): in 2006 participated in the exhibition which marked the reunion of three founders of "The Surrealists", after 50 years of estrangement: "Cesariny, Cruzeiro Seixas, Fernando José Francisco Walking Corpse and Bizarre. " He participated in the 2009 cycle "The Surrealists, "60 years after the 1st exposure group. It was in the context of this initiative who edited a magnificent journal devoted to Surrealism: "We continued blinded by Light intensity, "which then gave continuity to a collection of books-object artistic dedicated to Surrealism. The Collection now has another 2 titles which the author participated: "Community" (2006), with Luiz Pacheco and "I-own the Others "(2011), and works with Alfredo Luz and Mário Botas. In November 2011 the Gallery Perve made him a first honor, dedicandolhe so unprecedented a stand at Art London, only contemporary art fair in Portugal. Between 9 February and 24 March, the two Galleries Perve in Alfama and Alcântara, conducted an anthological exhibition, with about 120 works performed by Artur do Cruzeiro Seixas over more than 70 years of activity plastic.

Carlos Cabral Nunes September 2012