BOGOTA, Colombia — Renowned Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero, whose depictions of people and objects in plump, exaggerated forms became emblems of Colombian art around the world, has sadly passed away at the age of 91.
Lina Botero, the daughter of Fernando Botero, announced on Colombian radio station Caracol that her father died on Friday morning in Monaco due to complications from pneumonia.
Botero was famous for his inflated and colorful depictions of politicians, animals, saints, and scenes from his childhood, which were instantly recognizable. Despite his humble origins, he achieved global fame and influence throughout his lifetime, with his paintings exhibited in museums worldwide and his bronze sculptures adorning the parks and avenues of many European and Latin American capitals.
“His success was truly immense,” wrote Botero’s son Juan Carlos in a biography of his father published in 2010. “Fernando Botero has created a unique style that is original and easily recognizable.”
Botero’s artworks fetched millions of dollars at international auctions, and he was highly esteemed in his native Colombia not only for his success abroad but also for his generous donations to his home country. He donated 23 statues that are now displayed in a park in downtown Medellin, becoming one of the city’s most popular attractions.
Furthermore, Botero donated 180 paintings to Colombia’s Central Bank, which were used to establish the Botero Museum in Bogota. One of his sculptures, a white chubby pigeon standing proudly on a pedestal, became a symbol of Colombia’s pursuit of peace with rebel groups and is currently housed in a prominent gallery inside the nation’s presidential palace.
Botero’s art resonated with Colombians as it evoked nostalgia for the country in the early 20th century, depicting characters with bowler hats and neatly trimmed mustaches in a vibrant universe of green hills, lush trees, and clay-roofed homes.
President Gustavo Petro expressed his condolences on X, formerly known as Twitter, stating, “The painter of our traditions and our defects, the painter of our virtues has died. He painted violence and peace. He painted the pigeon that was rejected a thousand times and put a thousand times on a throne.”
Born on April 19, 1932 in Medellín, Colombia, Botero developed a passion for the arts from a young age. At 14, he decided to dedicate his life to art after selling some sketches of bullfights outside the city’s bullfighting arena. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid and drew inspiration from the works of Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco during his time in Mexico.
Upon returning to Colombia, Botero became a professor at the School of Arts of the National University. In 1960, he moved to New York with just a few hundred dollars in his pocket. In the 1960s, he began experimenting with exaggerated forms and volumes in his paintings, earning the attention of art critics.
In the 1970s, Botero expanded his artistic repertoire and achieved great success with his sculptures in bronze, marble, and cast iron. He later returned to painting and continued to alternate between the two mediums. His paintings depicted everyday scenes as well as political subjects, including the death of drug dealer Pablo Escobar and the emergence of rebel groups.
Notably, in 2005, Botero created a series of 79 paintings portraying the torture of Iraqis by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison. Despite facing difficulties in exhibiting these paintings in the United States, they were eventually showcased at the University of California Berkeley.
Fernando Botero was known for his unwavering dedication to his craft. His son, Juan Carlos Botero, described him as one of the most disciplined individuals, painting every day without rest or breaks, even on special occasions like Christmas and birthdays.
Despite his declining health, Botero continued to work in his studio in Monaco, experimenting with water paintings due to his inability to handle larger brushes. His daughter, Lina, shared this information in an interview with Colombian radio station Blu.
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