Mr.A.,
an iconic character
Graffiti was the first way in which artist AndrĂ© Saraiva made his mark on the world. AndrĂ© was born in Uppsala, Sweden, and grew up in Paris tagging his name on the neighborhood walls. There was a significant turning point in the history of street art, when AndrĂ© introduced a character into his graffiti – the cheerful, top-hatted stick figure, and now iconic Mr. A.
As the first graffiti artist to paint a character in place of the traditional tag name, he quickly became known as Parisâ most active street artist.
Since then, Mr. A has been painted over 300,000 times across six continents. AndrĂ© and his signature character have both appeared in many global brand collaborations and campaigns for over 30 years. AndrĂ©âs work has been shown in museums and contemporary art galleries around the world, with the largest being a wall of tiles installed in Lisbon commissioned by the city that spanned over 10.000-square-foot.
As an entrepreneur, AndrĂ© has created curated experiences and spaces, as well as founded hospitality ventures including the world-famous Le Baron and boutique hotel group Hotel Amour. While AndrĂ© is a pioneer of hotels, restaurants, and nightlife, AndrĂ© has never put his spray can away. In fact, he sees every one of his many ventures as part of the same irreverent lifelong art piece. One that he always approaches with a wink â just like his iconic graffitied alter ego, Mr. A.