Table of Contents
Latest News: Fernando Botero Dies at Age 91
Renowned Colombian sculptor and painter Fernando Botero passed away on September 15 due to complications from pneumonia, as reported by the Associated Press. His daughter, Lina Botero, confirmed the news to Colombian radio station Caracol. Botero was celebrated for his distinctive style, characterized by vibrant, inflated depictions of people and objects. His artwork has been exhibited in museums worldwide, and he was particularly cherished in Colombia for his philanthropic efforts, which included the donation of 23 sculptures across the nation and 180 paintings to Colombia’s Central Bank. These contributions facilitated the establishment of the Botero Museum in Bogotá. Colombian President Gustavo Petro paid tribute to Botero on social media, stating, “The painter of our traditions and our defects, the painter of our virtues has died.”
Who Was Fernando Botero?
Fernando Botero abandoned a childhood pursuit of becoming a matador to pursue a career in art, exhibiting his work for the first time in 1948 as a teenager. His distinctive artistic style, now showcased in major cities globally, is notable for its exaggerated proportions. Botero’s bronze sculptures are prominently displayed in public parks across numerous European and Latin American capitals. The artist died on September 15, 2023, at the age of 91.
Early Years
Born in Medellín, Colombia, on April 19, 1932, Fernando Botero Angulo initially attended a matador school before shifting his focus to art. He exhibited his first paintings in 1948 at the age of 16, followed by a solo exhibition in Bogotá three years later. Influenced by pre-Colombian and Spanish colonial art, as well as the political murals of Diego Rivera, Botero drew inspiration from his artistic idols, including Francisco de Goya and Diego Velázquez. By the early 1950s, he was studying painting in Madrid, where he supported himself by replicating works from the Prado Museum to sell to tourists.
Paintings and Sculptures
Throughout the 1950s, Botero experimented with proportion and size, developing his signature style—characterized by round, exaggerated depictions of humans and animals—after relocating to New York City in 1960. The inflated proportions of his figures, as seen in works like Presidential Family (1967), often carried a political undertone, rendered in flat, vibrant colors with clearly outlined forms, reminiscent of Latin-American folk art. While his oeuvre includes still lifes and landscapes, Botero predominantly focused on situational portraiture.
After gaining international acclaim, Botero moved to Paris in 1973, where he began creating sculptures that echoed the thematic elements of his paintings, featuring the same bloated subjects. His large bronze figures were exhibited outdoors worldwide, garnering significant attention by the 1990s.
In 2004, Botero shifted toward more explicitly political themes, showcasing a series of drawings and paintings addressing violence in Colombia linked to drug cartels. His Abu Ghraib series, unveiled in 2005 and inspired by reports of U.S. military abuses at the Iraqi prison, took over 14 months to complete and attracted considerable attention during its European exhibition.
In 2013, Botero published Circus: Paintings and Works on Paper, which highlighted 137 paintings, 31 drawings, and 22 watercolors created between 2007 and 2008, inspired by his childhood visits to the circus in Colombia. He reflected, “Everything seemed gigantic… The circus leaves a sweet memory,” as reported by Reuters. Botero’s work continues to be featured in exhibitions globally.
Personal Life
Botero was married three times, with his most recent union to Greek artist Sophia Vari in 1978, who passed away in May 2023. He had three children with his first wife, Gloria Zea: sons Fernando and Juan Carlos and daughter Lina. With his second wife, Cecilia Zambrano, he had a son named Pedro, who tragically died in a car accident at the age of four in 1974. Botero, who was driving at the time, lost parts of two fingers and some movement in his right arm due to the accident. He remarked that the best painting he ever created was of his late son, stating, “I still had the bandages on when I painted it.”
Death
Fernando Botero died from pneumonia complications on September 15, 2023, at the age of 91, in Monaco, where he maintained a residence. Despite his declining health, his daughter Lina noted that Botero continued to work in his studio, albeit with adaptations, focusing on water-based paintings as he could no longer manage larger brushes.