Remembering Botero, Colombia’s iconic artist – Fernando Botero, a Colombian artist known for his unique style, died at 91. His daughter, Lina, announced the news in a radio talk.
He spent his final days in a Monaco hospital battling pneumonia, although he had long-term Parkinson’s disease.
The President of Colombia acknowledged the artist’s passing on social media. He called Botero a painter of diverse aspects of Colombian life.
Botero gained global fame for his exaggerated human forms and vivid hues. His work also explored serious topics like dictatorships and violence.
New York’s Metropolitan Museum described his style as featuring “big figures” that fill the canvas.
His art graced public spaces too, including large bronze statues in New York.
Botero began his career selling bullfight paintings in Medellín. Later, he revisited this subject to honor the Spanish tradition.
He was born to David Botero and Flora Angulo de Botero on April 19, 1932, in Medellín. After his father died when he was four, his family struggled financially.
He went to Florence in the 1950s to study art history and fresco methods. Artists like Francisco Goya and Pablo Picasso influenced him.
He also spent time in Paris, focusing on sculptures. His work earned him comparisons to other notable artists like Peter Paul Rubens.
The Metropolitan Museum hailed Botero as a compelling storyteller. He often painted leisure scenes tinged with social messages.
In 1958, he won Colombia’s Salon of National Artists. He also donated art worth millions to museums in Medellín and Bogotá.
In a past interview, Botero explained his fascination with shape. He said his work was not about painting overweight figures but exploring volume.
Botero is survived by three children. His third wife, Sophia Vari, an artist from Greece, died earlier this year.