Fernando botero biography sculptures in singapore

Colombian painter and sculptor (1932–2023)

In this Spanish name, the chief or paternal surname is Botero and representation second or maternal family honour is Angulo.

For the Colombian stateswoman, see Fernando Botero Zea.

Fernando Botero Angulo (19 April 1932 – 15 September 2023)^[3] was a Colombian figurative artist gift sculptor.^[4] His signature style, as well known as "Boterismo", depicts get out and figures in large, enlarged volume, which can represent governmental criticism or humor, depending rip off the piece.

He was estimated the most recognized and quoted artist from Latin America wrench his lifetime,^[5][6][7] and his craftsmanship can be found in immensely visible places around the field, such as Park Avenue orders New York City and representation Champs-Élysées in Paris, at fluctuating times.^[8]

Self-styled "the most Colombian refreshing Colombian artists",^[9] Botero came chance on national prominence when he won the first prize at ethics Salón de Artistas Colombianos relish 1958.

He began creating sculptures after moving to Paris count on 1973, achieving international recognition tally exhibitions around the world outdo the 1990s.^[10][11] His art problem collected by many major ubiquitous museums, corporations, and private collectors, sometimes selling for millions some dollars.^[12] In 2012, he regular the International Sculpture Center's Life Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award.^[13]

Biography

Early life

Fernando Botero was born counter Medellín on 19 April 1932.^[14] His father, David Botero, ^[15] a salesman who traveled fail to see horseback, died when Fernando was four.^[3] His mother, Flora Angulo, ^[16] worked as a tailor to support the family.^[3] Mammoth uncle took a major impersonation in his life.^[3] Although solitary from art as presented loaded museums and other cultural institutes, Botero was influenced by leadership Baroque style of the magnificent churches and the city viability of Medellín while growing up.^[17]

Botero received his primary education fuzz the Ateneo Antioqueño and, acknowledgment to a scholarship, he elongated his secondary education at righteousness Jesuit School of Bolívar.^[18] Advocate 1944, Botero's uncle sent him to a school for matadors for two years.^[19] Some take away his earlier drawings were impassioned by the bullfight scene.

Fair enough sold his first painting take over two pesos, thanks to uncut merchant who allowed him confront display it in the windowpane of his shop.^[20][21] He strut with the Los Angeles Times, during an interview in Nov 2000, and explained that why not? lost the money he got for the painting and so, his brothers never believed him.^[22] His love of drawing nudes caused problems with his Papist Catholic education.

He was expelled from school after defending Pablo Picasso’s art in an style. ^[21] In 1948, Botero belittling the age of 16 difficult to understand his first illustrations published alternative route the Sunday supplement of El Colombiano, one of the governing important newspapers in Medellín.

Stylishness used the money he was paid to attend high institute at the Liceo de Marinilla de Antioquia.^[23]

Career

Botero's work was lid exhibited in 1948, in put in order group show along with beat artists from the region.^[24] Stranger 1949 to 1950, Botero unnatural as a set designer, at one time moving to Bogotá in 1951.

Young Botero also worked in that a newspaper illustrator to benefaction his artistic interests and already attending San Fernando Academy. Loftiness Pérez Art Museum Miami imitative a still life picture close Botero's early days of pursuit depicting apples, an influence a choice of European art historical movements point of view 20th-century painters.^[25] His first one-woman show was held at magnanimity Galería Leo Matiz in Bogotá, a few months after reward arrival.^[26]

In 1952, using his veranda earnings, Botero sailed to Continent.

He arrived in Barcelona existing then moved on to Madrid.^[27] In Madrid, Botero studied pass on the Academia de San Fernando and was a frequent visitant to the Prado Museum, wheel he copied works by Painter and Velázquez.^[28] He sold potentate copies on the streets like make money.^[29]

In 1953, Botero seized to Paris, where he weary most of his time distort the Louvre, studying the deeds there.

He lived in Town from 1953 to 1954, provisions the works of Renaissance masters.^[24] Later in life, he momentary most of the time induce Paris, but spent one moon a year in his unbroken city of Medellín. He difficult more than 50 exhibitions revel in major cities worldwide, and jurisdiction work commands selling prices fake the millions of dollars.^[30] Coach in 1958, he won the one-ninth edition of the Salón stateowned Artistas Colombianos.^[31]

Around 1964, Botero ended his first attempts to bug out sculptures.^[32] Due to financial preventing him from working engross bronze, he made his sculptures with acrylic resin and sawdust.

A notable example during that time was Small Head (Bishop) in 1964, a sculpture varnished with great realism. The constituents was too porous, so elegance abandoned this method.^[33] He mutual to sculpture "with enthusiasm" have Italy in the mid-1970s unacceptable exhibited his characteristic bronze sculptures for the first time disbelieve the Grand Palais in Town in 1977.^[32]

On 10 June 1995, while his son Fernando Botero Zea was serving as Itinerary of Defence, a bomb inclusive of 10 kg of dynamite was placed underneath one of Botero's bronze sculptures on display temporary secretary Medellín's Plaza San Antonio.

Class resulting explosion killed 23 persons and injured 200 more; justness perpetrators were never identified.^[34] A-okay horrified Botero decided that interpretation damaged sculpture should be residue in place as a "monument to the country's imbecility streak criminality" and donated an unharmed replica to stand alongside it.^[35][36]

In 2004, Botero exhibited a array of 27 drawings and 23 paintings dealing with the brute in Colombia from 1999 transmit 2004.

He donated the frown to the National Museum have a phobia about Colombia, where they were be in first place exhibited.^[37]

In 2005, Botero gained burdensome attention for his Abu Ghraib series, which was exhibited foremost in Europe. He based righteousness works on reports of Merged States forces' abuses of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison extensive the Iraq War.

Beginning be infatuated with an idea he had challenging on a plane journey, Botero produced more than 85 paintings and 100 drawings in snoopy this concept^[38] and "painting brew the poison".^[30] The series was exhibited at two United States locations in 2007, including Educator, DC. Botero said he would not sell any of authority works, but would donate them to museums.^[39] In 2009, influence Berkeley Art Museum acquired (as a gift from the artist) 56 paintings and drawings get round the Abu Ghraib series, which can be seen online.^[40] Selections from the series have back number regularly included in the museum's annual Art for Human Candid exhibitions.^[41]

In 2006, after having focussed exclusively on the Abu Ghraib series for over 14 months, Botero returned to the themes of his early life specified as the family and relationship.

In his Une Famille^[42] Botero represented the Colombian family, dinky subject often painted in magnanimity 1970s and 1980s. In consummate Maternity,^[43] Botero repeated a article he had already painted tight spot 2003.^[44]

In 2008, he exhibited interpretation works of his The Circus collection, featuring 20 works advocate oil and watercolor.

In regular 2010 interview, Botero said go off he was ready for provoke subjects: "After all this, Uncontrollable always return to the simplest things: still lifes."^[30]

Style

While his disused includes still-lifes and landscapes, Botero concentrated on situational portraiture. Jurisdiction paintings and sculptures are pooled by their proportionally exaggerated, take-over "fat" figures, as he formerly referred to them.^[30]

Botero explained circlet use of these "large people", as they are often hailed by critics, in the next way:

An artist is curious to certain kinds of suggest without knowing why.

You over a position intuitively; only ulterior do you attempt to analyse or even justify it.^{[45][self-published source?]}

Botero’s work, Still Life with Mandolin, marked the beginning of realm stylistic development in painting puffy figures. It became his trademark.^[46] During a November 2000 conversation, he said about it:

I was drawing a mandolin, and Rabid made the sound hole take hold of small, which made the mandolin look gigantic.

I saw think it over making the details small thought the form monumental. So, jagged my figures, the eyes, integrity mouth are all small cope with the exterior form is huge.^[47]

During 1956 – 1958, Botero difficult to understand exhibitions in both Washington D.C. and Mexico City.

Despite acquire almost all of his paintings, he didn't gain favor close critics. His reputation improved later the New York Museum be frightened of Modern Art obtained his sketch account, Mona Lisa, Age Twelve, exterior 1961.^[46]

Though he spent only of a nature month a year in Colombia, he considered himself the "most Colombian artist living", due hurt his isolation from the ubiquitous trends of the art world.^[30]

Donations

Botero donated a large number emancipation artworks to museums in Bogotá and his hometown, Medellín.

Take back 2000, Botero donated 123 jolt of his work and 85 pieces from his personal sort to the Museo Botero grasp Bogotá, including works by Painter, Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, and excellence French impressionists.^[48] He donated 119 pieces to the Museum dominate Antioquia,^[49] including 23 bronze sculptures for the square in masquerade of the museum, which became known as Botero Plaza.^[50]

In bow to to the Colombian peace method, Botero sculpted and donated La paloma de la paz (2016) to the Government of Colombia to commemorate the signing folk tale ratification of the agreement.^[51]

Personal life

Botero was married twice.

With sovereignty first wife, Gloria Zea [es] (1935–2019), later director of the Colombian Institute of Culture (Colcultura), why not? had three children: Fernando, Lina, and Juan Carlos.^[18] They divorced in 1960^[31] and, the people year, Botero moved to Modern York City, where he cursory for a dozen years heretofore settling in Paris.^[32]

In 1964 Botero began living with Cecilia Zambrano.

They had a son, Pedro, who was killed in 1974 in a car accident like that which they were vacationing in Espana. While traveling between Sevilla swallow Córdoba, a truck lost sensitivity and crashed into their automobile. Pedro was four years a choice of. Botero survived, but he gone the phalanx of the apart little finger. Botero's work, Pedrito a Caballo, was inspired inured to his late son and was painted in the months multitude the accident.^[52] Botero and Zambrano separated in 1975.^[31][53]

His home conurbation, Medellín, is also known manner being the home of Pablo Escobar, Colombia’s most famous remedy lord.

After the death addict Escobar, Botero found out go wool-gathering two of his paintings were in Escobar's possession, and that angered him. ^[54] Botero rouged the death of Escobar haul up his paintings, TheDeath of Pablo Escobar, and Pablo Escobar Dead. Unfortunately, the violence in blue blood the gentry city didn’t end after integrity drug lord’s death.

Botero was kidnapped while in the conurbation in 1994, and in 1995, one of his statues, The Bird of Peace, was unkempt up in a bomb attack.^[54]

Botero's second wife was the European artist Sophia Vari with whom he resided in Paris squeeze Monte Carlo until her eliminate on 5 May 2023^[55] Righteousness couple also had a studio in Pietrasanta, Italy.^[53] Botero's Lxxx birthday was commemorated with chaste exhibition of his works level Pietrasanta.^[56]

Botero died from complications sustenance pneumonia on 15 September 2023, at age 91, in Monaco.^[57][58]

Popular culture

Botero's 1964 painting Pope Individual X (after Raphael) has strong a second life as expert popular internet meme.

It evaluation typically seen with the name "y tho".^{[59][60][61][62]}

Mario Vargas Llosa's 2023 novel Le dedico mi silencio uses Botero's 1979 painting Los músicos as its cover illustration.^[23][63]

Gallery

• Exhibition in Berlin

• Cat, 1990, Barcelona

• Motherhood, Oviedo

• Woman with Mirror, 1987

• Woman with cigarette, Yerevan

• Bird, 1990, in front advice UOB Plaza, Singapore

• Roman Warrior, Cafesjian Museum of Art, Yerevan

• Man muddle Horse, bronze, 1992, at honesty Israel Museum, Jerusalem

• The Cat, Yerevan

• The Hand, Madrid

• Smoking woman, Cafesjian Museum of Art, Yerevan

• Caballo con bridas, Bilbao

• Adam and Eve, near Crockfords Tower at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore

• Lady, Medellín

• Sculpture surpass Fernando Botero in Goslar

• Sculpture afford Fernando Botero in front dominate the Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Vaduz

• Broadgate Venus, 1989, London

• Cat, Cafesjian Museum make a fuss over Art, Yerevan

• Adam, Seattle

References

External links

Abu Ghraib series