André Saraiva

André Saraiva, also known as Monsieur André or Monsieur A, is a French graffiti artist. Born as son of Portuguese parents in Uppsala, Sweden, he has been living in Paris since his childhood. Saraiva started doing graffiti in 1985, quickly acquiring notoriety in the late 90s with Mr. A, a cartoonish character with a top hat, big smile, long legs, and a cross and circle for his eyes that could be found all over the streets of Paris. A famous member of the early Parisian graffiti scene alongside Invader and Zevs, he also made an appearance in Banksy’s street art movie ‘Exit through the Giftshop’. Thanks to his distinctive poetic and joyful style and his use of pink colour, he became instantly recognizable – for example in his Love Graffiti series, which he created in the year 2000 – and expanded into various techniques such as wall paintings and sculpture from there. Even installations now count to his repertoire as seen in ‘Art in the Streets’, exhibited at the MOCA in Los Angeles that was curated by Jeffrey Deitch and Aaron Rose.
André Saraiva (*1971 Uppsala) lives and works in Paris and New York.