Calixto Sales

Born in Najé, Maragojipe district - Bahia, Calixto Áureo de Sales
(Calixto Sales) began drawing as a child, proving himself to be a promising artist. At the age of 22, with his brother and fellow artist Washington Sales, a renowned and experienced painter, as his great mentor and encourager, he took his first steps towards painting.
A self-taught artist, he exhibited for the first time in 1974, launching himself as a great pioneer of NAIF painting in Pelourinho, where he has lived since 1970, thus acquiring sensitivity to the themes of the Historic Centre of Pelourinho. He then stood out as one of the most important visual artists of the Historic Centre.
Consecrated for the themes in which, with the strokes of a true master, he describes in a special way the houses, churches, fairs and various characters, giving an almost nostalgic colour to the daily life, the life of Pelourinho and the aesthetic magic of Bahia. His works have been acquired by illustrious Brazilian and foreign figures, such as the great Mário Lago and Mário Soares, President of Portugal.
Calixto Sales is truly a symbol of talent and resistance of NAIF painting in Bahia and Brazil.