CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH

Seoane was born in the city of Santos (Brazil) in 1930 being the youngest son of a working class family of imigrants (Spanish dad and Portuguese mother). At the age of 14, he runs away from home and goes to São Paulo seeking opportunities to develop his artistic skills.

In 1944 he was admited at the  Professor Nelson Nobrega Graphic Arts School by the means of a competition that granted him a full scholarship for a 4 year period. He had as masters for Graphic Techniques Lívio Abramo and Mário Gruber, Antônio Gomide for Anathomy and Wolfgang Pfeiffer for Art History.

Discovered by the art critic Sérgio Milliet, he had his first solo exhibition in 1950 at the Brazilian Institute of Architects in São Paulo.

1950's
Studies and style development in Brazil

Unfulfilled with the limitations of the Graphic Arts at that time, from 1952, being self-taught, Seoane began exploring oil painting creating a series that he called "The Misterious World of Vegetation", that according to the art critic Geraldo Ferraz was a "Botanic Metamorphosis".

Being concerned about a greater culture he attended classes of philosophy, psichology and theology, living and studiyng in different monasteries of the Benedictine Order as a novice in the period between 1953 and 1958. He spent most the this period living in the state of Bahia, where he kept himself active in the local artistic scene seeking a fusion between the religious culture and the Brazilian contemporary art. At this time he had the opportunity of joining efforts with local Bahia artist Raimundo de Oliveira.

Being ultimately against the regionalized art and with a great concern to spread his work not only, as it was common practice at the time,  in the main artistic centers, he took his art to individual expositions to the most remote areas of Brazil like, at that time, Porto Alegre, where he had an individual show as the grand opening of the city's first art gallery at the Teatro Leopoldina.​

1960's
USA - International acclaim

Seoane participated in several solo and collective exhibitions around Brazil and won prizes at the most prestigious art halls of modern and contemporary art in the country such as the São Paulo Modern Art Salon, Rio de Janeiro Modern Art Salon and the São Paulo's Art Bienal. By the end of the 1960's he made an exhibition tour throughout the major capital cities of South America and from there, sponsored by the Brazilian Ministery of Foreign Affairs, he took his solo exhibition to eleven North American universities, as well as to the Brazilian-North American Cultural Institute in Washington D.C. as part of a cultural exchange program between the two countries.

In 1967 he emigrates to the United States where he sets solo exhibitions in several cities. As some of his major accomplishments at the time he was invited to exhibit his work at the most important international organizations in the country such as the Inter-American Development Bank, the Brazilian Institute of New York, the World Bank and the IMF, being the first South American artist to have his works presented in the latest. He took part on several collective exhibitions and, at this time, began a new phase of his work inspired by the first five movements of Villa Lobos's Bachianas. which represent a dreamlike voyage to the heart of the Amazon Forest.

This new phase was received with an accolade by the critics and gave him the first prize for professional acrylic at the Takoma Park Art Association National Salon in Washington D.C. in the year of 1968. His exhibition at the Bacardi Gallery in Miami, FL, in 1971 was chosen as the best of the season. At this time, the Miami cityhall bought of his paintings and donated it to the Miami Modern Art Museum and, at the same time, Seoane was awarded with the city key by the mayor James Kennedy for his relevant services provided to Miami's cultural life.

RETURN AND ACCLAIM IN BRAZIL

In 1972 Seoane returns to Brazil and, in his continuos search for new inspirations, lives the next few years in different cities like Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, Vitória till his eventual return to the city of São Paulo where he'll live till his last days closer to his family. In each of these cities he organizes and receives invitations for solo and collective exhibitions within their major galleries and art halls.

Within the Brazilian territory, Seoane have received many awards. Some of the most notable awards given for his work both in graphic arts and oil painting were the bronze medal (1957), silver medal (1959 and 1961), gold medal (1965) and acquisition award (1960 and 1962) at the Modern Art Salon of São Paulo and his participations at the IV and XIV National Modern Art Salon and the VIII and IX São Paulo Bienal of Arts.  

For the  propagation of the Brazilian art abroad Seoane have received the commendations of D. João VI from the Heraldry and Medals Institute of São Paulo, the Civic and Cultural Merit Cross from the Brazilian Association of Heraldry and Medals and the Anchieta Medal given by the São Paulo City Council.

In the year of 1987, after a few years struggling against cancer, Seoane dies in the city of São Paulo.  ​