Saülo Mercader facts for kids

Saülo Mercader is a Spanish artist who creates paintings, sculptures, and essays. He was born on September 13, 1944, in San Vicente del Raspeig, a town in Alicante, Spain. Since 1975, he has lived in Paris, France.

Besides painting and sculpting, Saülo Mercader also makes art using many other materials. These include ceramics, large woven pictures called high-warp tapestries, engravings, drawings, terracotta (baked clay), and lithographies (a type of printmaking).

His art doesn't follow just one specific style or trend. Instead, his creations are inspired by things happening in the world and in his own life. He sees himself as someone who observes his time and helps connect people with the wider universe. He uses his art to share his unique view of the world.

Saülo Mercader's Life Story

Saülo Mercader started creating art, like modeling and drawing, when he was only six years old. He learned different modeling techniques in workshops for the "Fallas" festivals in Alicante. He also worked as an apprentice in sculptor Serrano's workshops. This experience taught him all the steps involved in making bronze sculptures, from creating a mold to various ways of casting the metal.

Early Career in Spain

In 1964, Saülo Mercader moved to Bilbao in the Basque Country, northern Spain. This is where his professional art career truly began. He became well-known through many group and solo art shows. For about 20 years, he had a special connection with the people there, and his work was widely covered by newspapers, radio, and TV.

He was a student of the sculptor Lucarini. Saülo Mercader carved stone and worked with bronze, creating impressive busts (sculptures of heads and shoulders). He also painted portraits, like one of the Marquis de Lozoya in Segovia.

One of his paintings, Peras en Primavera (Pears in Spring), was bought by the Fine Arts Museum in Madrid. In 1972, he received the Spanish Vocation Fund Prize. This award recognized his talent, strength, and true dedication to art. Saülo Mercader's popularity grew even more.

He then traveled to Rome, Italy, with a scholarship from a Spanish company. In Italy, he studied the works of famous old masters like Raphaël and Leonardo da Vinci. He felt a strong artistic connection to them, and their work guided his own hands when he was young. After Italy, he visited Scandinavia and spent a few months in the Netherlands.

Sadly, his studio in Bilbao was destroyed by severe floods. He lost many of his artworks, as well as books, letters, and photos.

Moving to Paris

In 1974, the French government gave him a grant, which allowed him to move to Paris and continue his art. This was a very important change in his life. He lived at the Cité internationale des arts for five years. There, he met many artists from all over the world, including painters, sculptors, actors, musicians, dancers, and writers. These meetings helped him see art in new and broader ways.

He took part in major art shows in Paris, such as the Salon de Mai and the Salon d’Automne. At the Cité Internationale des Arts, he started weaving high-warp tapestries. He learned from artists like Jagoda Buic and Nora Music, and also met the weaver Marin Varbanov. He also took courses in carving and painting at the Superior National School of Fine arts in Paris.

In 1978, his exhibition at the International Contemporary Art Fair (FIAC) in Paris made him well-known to people across Europe. These years were very busy for him, filled with creating many new works and traveling a lot.

Time in New York

In 1981, Saülo Mercader received an American Fulbright grant. He moved to New York City and worked there for a couple of years. He lived on the campus of Columbia University and took classes at Teachers' College. He studied lithography and painting and created a series of ceramics.

He spent some time focusing on painting large artworks about American football. These paintings were exhibited and received a lot of attention from the press and media, making him known to the New York public. At the same time, he painted five very large artworks about the theme of trees. These were later shown at the Biennial of Alexandria.

He earned a Master of Arts and Education degree from Teachers' College, Columbia University. Later, he met famous artists like Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Niki de Saint Phalle. These were very productive years for Saülo Mercader, which he recorded in his many illustrated notebooks and graphic artworks.

Return to Europe and Global Travels

After returning to Paris, he earned a doctoral degree in visual arts with honors from Paris VIII University in 1986. He met other important artists and writers like Tapies, Semprun, and Camilo José Cela. He regularly exhibited his art in Paris and traveled often to Spain. In Madrid, he met the artist Francis Bacon.

His travels to Greece, especially Crete and its mythology, inspired a huge painting (720 x 420 cm) called L’Attente du Minotaure (The Waiting of the Minotaur). This painting is now part of an art collection in Athens. While staying on Naxos island in the Cyclads, he created a series of works inspired by Cycladic art (ancient art from the Cycladic islands).

In Turkey and Cyprus, Saülo Mercader explored Eastern cultures and art. These traditions and architecture gave him many new ideas. He exhibited paintings in Istanbul at the Biennial of Contemporary Art, and then in Bodrum and Nicosia. Meeting Turkish and Cypriot artists helped him discover a new world of creativity that inspired his own art.

In Germany, his paintings became brighter, and his subjects took on bolder shapes. He exhibited in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Köln. In Brussels and Ostende, he painted misty landscapes. In Amsterdam, he visited the Rijksmuseum and saw Van Gogh's self-portraits at the Van Gogh Museum. He also exhibited in Utrecht, inspired by its romantic canals. All these places were like "awakened dreams" for Saülo Mercader, who painted, carved, drew, and wrote about his experiences and the people he met. In Paris, he became friends with artists Alechinski and Valerio Adami.

The city of Figeac in France hosted two exhibitions of his work in 1995 and 2000. These shows focused on the Minotaur theme, with one called Les Hurlements du Taureau (The Howls of the Bull). The media, including newspapers, radio, and TV, praised these exhibitions. In 2000, inside the art gallery, he painted one of his most important works: la Bachannale des Minotaures. This very large painting was later shown with other minotaur artworks at the Palacio del Infantado in Guadalajara and in Alicante, Spain.

Saülo Mercader has always been interested in sharing his knowledge. He was often invited to teach classes to young students. He took part in a program called L’Art à l’Ecole (Art at School), which involved traveling exhibitions and special talks sponsored by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

He often travels back to his home country, Spain. His exhibition El Euro y Los Minotauros (The Euro and the Minotaurs) in 2002–2003 was held at the Lonja del Pescado in Alicante. It was supported by the Alicante Town Hall, the Consortium of Museums, and the Generalitat of Valencia. He regularly exhibits his work in different parts of France. His exhibition Les hologénies de l’Etron at the Cervantes Cultural Institute in Toulouse, France, surprised many with its unique theme.

A few years later, he had the honor of representing Spanish artists living in Paris at a reception at the Spanish Embassy. There, he met King Juan Carlos.

In 2012, the French Embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan, officially invited him to exhibit his paintings for the French National Day (July 14). The press, media, radio, and TV widely covered his exhibition.

During his time in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, he visited amazing places. These included the Tangaly Petroglyphs (ancient rock carvings) and old monuments along the Silk Road, which are full of history and legends. He also saw Mongol and Asian architecture, visited Edouard Kazarian's workshop in Almaty, and explored valuable museums. All these treasures provided Saülo Mercader with a huge amount of inspiration.

He often goes to Spain to create public artworks, such as stone or bronze busts, and painted portraits. He also holds exhibitions there. In 2007, he took part in the Fallas festival in Alicante. He created a bull using various materials, following the traditional style of the Ninots (large figures made for the festival). This reminded him of his early days as an apprentice, when he learned construction techniques for building the Fallas.

Awards and Honors

Saülo Mercader has received several important awards and honors:

• He won the Prize of the Vocation Fund in Barcelona, Spain.
• He received a grant from the French Government.
• In 1981, he was awarded the Fulbright Grant.
• He is a Commander in the Order of the Arts and Letters, which is a high honor from the French Ministry of Culture.
• He was given the Vermeil Medal by the City of Paris.

Saülo Mercader's Artworks

Paintings

His paintings show different styles depending on where he lived. During his time in Catalonia, his art featured dramatic landscapes and symbolic elements like keys, candlesticks, and the moon. He also painted portraits and self-portraits.

In Paris, he created what he called "the Green series." These paintings often showed city people, homeless individuals, and mothers with children, telling poetic stories. Later, he explored themes like tauromachia (bullfighting scenes) and a series of minotaurs. These works often spoke out against censorship, injustice, loneliness, and wars. One very large painting, La Bacchanale des Minotaures, was shown in Figeac. This exhibition was supported by various art organizations and the Spanish Embassy.

In New York, he was influenced by American football, the American way of life, Native Americans, and city scenes like towers and skyscrapers. The themes of couples and mothers with children appeared often in his work during this period.

Inspired by the culture and traditions of the Australian Aborigines, he painted about 70 canvases. These artworks symbolized their Dream Time Mythology. Every trip he takes abroad becomes a source of new ideas and new artworks.

Sculptures

Saülo Mercader enjoys working with many different materials for his sculptures. These include terracotta, ceramics, stone, marble, and bronze. In 2007, he created a large monument for the City of San Vicente del Raspeig in Alicante, Spain.

This sculpture is called Dona Lluna (Lady Moon). It is made of bronze, stands 5.50 meters (about 18 feet) tall, and is placed in the middle of a roundabout. Around it are 12 painted pieces of raw marble, which represent a lunar calendar. This monument is a unique "heathen temple" dedicated to women, the only one of its kind in Europe.

Tapestries

In the late 1970s, Saülo Mercader wove several high-warp tapestries, which he called "sacred." Notable examples include Anamnèse, la Fatijah, and Rotor III. Rotor III is a large, three-dimensional tapestry inspired by sculptural shapes and the textile art of Sheila Hicks. He mixed different materials like plastic tubes, corks, and cloth into the cotton and wool threads of his tapestries.

Major Exhibitions and Collections

Saülo Mercader's works have been shown at the FIAC (International Contemporary Art Fair) in Paris in 1978. They have also been featured in all the main French art shows in Paris, such as the Salon d’Automne and Salon de Mai. His art has been exhibited in many other cities across France, including Bordeaux and Versailles.

His works are regularly exhibited in Spain, including two important shows in Guadalajara and Alicante. His art has represented France and Spain at international art events like the Biennials in Genève, Alexandria, Valparaiso, and the Istanbul Festival. He has also had over a hundred solo exhibitions around the world.

Saülo Mercader's art can be found in many private and public collections worldwide. Some notable places include:

• The Museum of Contemporary Art in Madrid (which owns his painting Peras en Primavera).
• The French National Library (which has his engravings, including "The poet").
• Teachers’ College, Columbia University in New York City (which has "The Eight Profiles").
• The Bodrum Art and Archeology Museum in Turkey (which has several of his works).
• The State Turkish Museum (which owns "Equilibrium of the Mind").
• The Cities of Tarragone and Guadalajara in Spain.
• The Tzovaridis's collection in Athens (which has "L’Attente du Minotaure").

See also

In Spanish: Saülo Mercader para niños