Tuesday, March 15, 2022 – HIS GRANDIOSE PEOPLE AND PETS AMUSE AND ENTERTAIN US
TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2022
622nd Issue
THE EXUBERANT
ART OF
FERNANDO BOTERO
Self-Portrait with Flag – Fernando Botero
Fernando Botero Angulo (born 19 April 1932) is a Colombian figurative artist and sculptor. Born in Medellín, his signature style, also known as “Boterismo”, depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political criticism or humor, depending on the piece. He is considered the most recognized and quoted living artist from Latin America, and his art can be found in highly visible places around the world, such as Park Avenue in New York City and the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
Self-titled “the most Colombian of Colombian artists” early on, he came to national prominence when he won the first prize at the Salón de Artistas Colombianos in 1958. Working most of the year in Paris, in the last three decades he has achieved international recognition for his paintings, drawings and sculpture, with exhibitions across the world. His art is collected by many major international museums, corporations, and private collectors. In 2012, he received the International Sculpture Center’s Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award.
Fernando Botero was born as the second of three sons to David Botero (1895–1936) and Flora Angulo (1898–1972) in 1932. David Botero, a salesman who traveled by horseback, died of a heart attack when Fernando was four. His mother worked as a seamstress. An uncle took a major role in his life. Although isolated from art as presented in museums and other cultural institutes, Botero was influenced by the Baroque style of the colonial churches and the city life of Medellín while growing up.
He received his primary education in Antioquia Ateneo and, thanks to a scholarship, he continued his secondary education at the Jesuit School of Bolívar. In 1944, Botero’s uncle sent him to a school for matadors for two years. In 1948, Botero at age 16 had his first illustrations published in the Sunday supplement of the El Colombiano, one of the most important newspapers in Medellín. He used the money he was paid to attend high school at the Liceo de Marinilla de Antioquia.
Botero’s work was first exhibited in 1948, in a group show along with other artists from the region.
From 1949 to 1950, Botero worked as a set designer, before moving to Bogotá in 1951. His first one-man show was held at the Galería Leo Matiz in Bogotá, a few months after his arrival. In 1952, Botero travelled with a group of artists to Barcelona, where he stayed briefly before moving on to Madrid.
In Madrid, Botero studied at the Academia de San Fernando. In 1952, he traveled to Bogotá, where he had a solo exhibit at the Leo Matiz gallery.
In 1953, Botero moved to Paris, where he spent most of his time in the Louvre, studying the works there. He lived in Florence, Italy from 1953 to 1954, studying the works of Renaissance masters. In recent decades, he has lived most of the time in Paris, but spends one month a year in his native city of Medellín. He has had more than 50 exhibits in major cities worldwide, and his work commands selling prices in the millions of dollars. In 1958, he won the ninth edition of the Salón de Artistas Colombianos.
Little Girl in the Garden
The Family Fernando Botero Date: 1966
Man Who Went to the Office
Fernando Botero
- 1969
The Collector
Fernando Botero
- 1974
Four Musicians
Fernando Botero
- 1984
Fernando Botero ‘Guerrilla de Eliseo Velásquez’.jpg
This painting by Fernando Botero depicts guerrillas led by Eliseo Velásquez in the early stages of “La Violencia”, a ten year period of violence/civil war that plagued Colombia. 1988
SCULPTURES
Barcelona. Raval cat. By Fernando Botero..jpg
This piece used to be on Park Avenue and 79th Street.
A famous ‘Sphinx’ sculpture is now on display in NYC
The piece is by iconic artist Fernando Botero.
This one’s worth a trip to the Meatpacking District: renowned artist Fernando Botero’s visually-striking, eight-foot-tall Sphinx statue is now on display at 14th Street Square through April 19.
The outdoor installation is part of “Fernando Botero,” a new exhibit presented by David Benrimon Fine Art in celebration of the artist’s upcoming 90th birthday on—you guessed it—April 19. The showing of Sphinx is presented by the gallery in partnership with the New York City Department of Transportation’s Art Program and the Meatpacking Business Improvement District (BID).
“With characteristic wit and joyous play of volumes, Botero interprets the classical creature with a head of a human, body of a lion and wings of a falcon, common to Egyptian, Greek, and Central Asian traditions,” reads an official press release. “In his ‘Boterismo’ exaggerated form, the astonishing eight-foot tall Sphinx looks down at the viewer below.” The artist re-imagines the classical creature with a head of a human, the body of a lion and the wings of a falcon in an exaggerated—and remarkable—form. The sculpture has traveled the world. It has been on display in Medellin, Berlin, the Netherlands and more. Botero’s life story is just as enthralling as his work has been throughout the years. He was born in Medellín in 1932 and actually initially went to school to become a matador until discovering his passion for art. In 1952, he moved to Spain, then relocated to France and eventually settled down in Italy (Florence, to be precise) where he was really able to nurture his talent. New Yorkers who wish to learn even more about Botero should head to the Museum of Modern Art, where more of his work resides.
Bird by Fernando Botero, in front of UOB Plaza, Singapore.
Bronze “Ruhende Frau” 1993 from Fernando Botero in front of the Kunsthaus Vaduz, Liechtenstein. Picture taken by Peter Berger. 25 February 2007.
Aufgenommen auf einem Rundgang durch Goslar. Weitere Infos unter Weltkulturerbe-Stadt Goslar.
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Text by Judith Berdy
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Edited by Melanie Colter and Deborah Dorff
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