Between 1992 and 1996, Catherine de Saugy devoted herself to creating mural panoramas and monumental frescoes on plaster and wood, placing her work within the tradition of trompe-l’œil and large-format decorative painting. Most were commissions from architects, interior designers, or contractors who recognized her ability to transform architectural spaces into fully fledged pictorial worlds.
These immersive compositions turn walls into open landscapes, inviting viewers to travel beyond the built environment. Working directly on site, the artist adapts each work to the volume and light of the location. Notable projects include frescoes for prestigious public and private spaces such as the Centro Dental in Guatemala (1992), the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG, 1993), and private commissions like Good Morning (La Tour-de-Peilz, 1993) and The Spirit of Freedom(Miami, 1994). Other highlights from this period include Villa Vistana (Guatemala, 1993), Hommage à Miró (Guatemala, 1995), and several works for Mercy Hospital in Coral Gables (Miami, 1995).
These panoramic frescoes testify to a growing command of perspective, textures, and light effects that lend her compositions a poetic realism. Far from mere ornament, they offer a true sensory experience—a dialogue between pictorial art and architectural space.
This foundational period marks the artist’s first stage in the monumental field: by exploring the techniques of trompe-l’œiland fresco, Catherine de Saugy forged a visual language that was already preparing her transition toward a more personal, symbolic expression. These panoramas thus form the technical and aesthetic bedrock for her later creations, notably her surrealist series such as Trois Dames pour un Roi ! (1994), Mes Magiciennes (1999–2002), and Les 9 Muses (2003).
