Hernando Tejada Sáenz (1924-1996) was born in Pereira, Colombia. He was a painter and sculptor and known internationally for his sculpture “The River Cat.” His childhood was in Manizales, Colombia with his parents, Jose Tejada and Ismenia Saenz Tejada. He had four siblings two of whom also became well-known artists: Lucy Tejeda and Teresa Tejada. In 1937, the family moved to Cali where he began his studies at The Institute of Fine Arts with the influential professor Jesus Maria Espinosa. He finished his studies at the National School of Fine Arts in Bogota, Colombia.
The aptly named Cat Park (Parque del Gato) was the brainchild of Tejada where he installed a giant bronze sculpture, “El Gato Rio” (The River Cat), along the banks of the Cali River. The impressive sculpture was created in Bogota and transported to Cali—no easy feat as the huge cat measures around 3.5 meters in height (11.5 feet!) and weighs about three tons—and became the centerpiece of the newly renovated parkland stretching along the riverfront.
The River Cat was so popular, it was soon joined by more feline friends, and today a series of 15 smaller cats can be found in the park, including a fiberglass cat model and colorful sculptures by local artists like Alejandro Valencia Tejada, Mario Gordillo, Nadin Ospina, Omar Rayo and Maripaz Jaramillo.
Hernando Tejada – Noche y Dia Xilografia/Woodcut
Hernando Tejada Sáenz (n. Pereira, Colombia; 1 de febrero de 1924 – f Cali, Columbia; 1 de junio de 1998) conocido popularmente como ‘Tejadita’ fue un pintor y escultor colombiano, recordado principalmente por su escultura El Gato del Rio, ubicado en la ciudad de Cali.
Su primera infancia la vivió en Manizales, junto con sus padres José Tejada e Ismenia Sáenz, y sus cuatro hermanos, entre quien se destaca también en el campo artístico su hermana Lucy Tejada, y menos reconocida, su hermana Teresita Tejada. En el año de 1937 su familia se muda a la ciudad de Cali donde entra a estudiar en el Instituto Departamental de Bellas Artes con el profesor Jesus Maria Espinosa y culmina sus estudios en la Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes de Bogota. Su sobrenombre de ‘tejadita’ hace alusión a su corta estatura (1.50 metros).