One year after the passing of Fernando Botero (1932-2023) the renowned Colombian painter and sculptor whose voluminous figures reshaped global perceptions of beauty, the nation prepares to honor its most beloved artist with a series of commemorative events.
In a rare collaborative effort, several of Colombia’s leading cultural institutions have come together to pay tribute to Botero’s legacy. Throughout the month of September, museums, theaters, and symphony halls across the country will host a variety of activities, including guided tours, workshops, and concerts, all aimed at celebrating the artist’s life and profound contributions to Colombian and international art.
Botero, who died on September 15, 2023, at the age of 91, left behind a legacy as monumental as the rotund forms that filled his canvases and sculptures. His work, characterized by an almost whimsical inflation of people, animals, and objects, has been both a playful exploration of form and a biting commentary on social and political realities. As one of Latin America’s most celebrated artists, Botero’s pieces now adorn major museums and public spaces from Paris to New York to Medellín, his birthplace.
A Tribute Across Institutions
This month’s events mark a collective reflection on the influence of a man whose artistic vision extended beyond Colombia’s borders. Leading the charge are the Botero Museum in Bogotá, the Museum of Antioquia in Medellín, the National Museum of Colombia, and the Bancolombia Art Room, along with the Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Knowledge.
On September 15, the first anniversary of Botero’s passing, a series of guided tours will be launched under the banner “An Artist of Great Stature.” These tours will explore Botero’s famed works, emphasizing the artist’s redefinition of classical figurative art. Other highlights include “Monumental Piñatas,” a workshop inspired by Botero’s themes of over-exaggeration, where participants will create massive piñatas shaped like watermelons, bananas, and guitars. Visitors can also experience “One Artist, Four Collections,” a curated journey through four of Colombia’s leading art museums, each offering a distinct perspective on Botero’s life and work.
A Life of Art and Philanthropy
Fernando Botero’s influence on the art world is difficult to overstate. Born in 1932 in Medellín, Botero initially trained as a bullfighter before immersing himself in art, developing a unique visual style that came to be known as “Boterismo.” His work often depicted plump, inflated figures in a way that, while playful on the surface, challenged viewers to confront issues of power, beauty, and human suffering.
Yet it wasn’t only his art that defined him. Botero was also a philanthropist of considerable magnitude. In 2000, he donated an extraordinary collection to the Botero Museum in Bogotá, comprising 123 of his own works and 85 pieces from his private collection, including pieces by masters such as Picasso, Monet, and Renoir. That same year, he made another monumental donation of 114 works to the Museum of Antioquia in Medellín.
In 2004, Botero moved the nation when he donated a series of 67 pieces- comprising watercolors, drawings, and oil paintings – that captured the violence that plagued Colombia during its long civil conflict. This series, a marked departure from his typically light-hearted subject matter, portrayed the brutality of war and human suffering in vivid, sometimes unbearable detail.
National and Global Influence
For Colombia, Botero’s art has come to symbolize more than just aesthetic beauty. His contributions to the country’s cultural identity are immeasurable, and his work- particularly his public sculptures in Medellín’s Plaza Botero- have become a source of national pride.
But Botero’s influence extends far beyond his homeland. His art, with its universally recognizable style, has been exhibited in major cities worldwide, from New York to Florence. In a world where so many artists strive for novelty, Botero’s ability to remain singularly committed to his inflated, distorted forms, while exploring the deepest facets of the human condition, set him apart as an icon of 20th and 21st-century art.
September’s month-long tribute is more than just a memorial to Fernando Botero; it’s a celebration of an artist whose work continues to captivate audiences at home and around the world. His bold explorations of form invite viewers to question the world around them and engage in an ongoing dialogue about art.
Colombians, along with international visitors, are invited to take part in this commemoration of a towering figure whose presence will be felt for generations to come. As the country comes together to reflect on Botero’s life, it becomes clear that his legacy, like his sculptures, is monumental – and timeless.
Events at the Museo Botero in Bogotá (Calle 11 No.4-41).
Sunday, September 15 – 11:00 a.m.
Guided tour: An Artist of Great Stature
Experts on Botero will offer a guided tour of the great master’s works at the Museo Botero in Bogotá. Take advantage of this unique “insider” tour from the Banco de la República to appreciate how the Medellín-born artist reimagined the classical canon of beauty and shaped his unique vision.
Wednesday, September 18 – 10:00 a.m.
Workshop: Monumental Piñatas
Piñatas have been representative elements that combine art and craftsmanship. They are celebratory objects created to evoke the surprise of discovering their contents and the liberating action of breaking their previously designed forms. Inspired by the work of Maestro Fernando Botero, we will create monumental piñatas of watermelons, bananas, guitars, and bottles.
Registration required.
Thursday, September 19 – 4:00 p.m.
Guided tour: In Honor of the Maestro: A Journey Through the Botero Donation
In this tour, Nicolás Gómez Echeverri, Director of the Arts and Other Collections Unit, and Adriana Paez, Head of Conservation and Registration, will guide us through the unprecedented Botero Donation, a collection of 123 works by the maestro and pieces by some of the most representative artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Registration required.
Friday, September 20 / 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Guided tour: One Artist, Four Collections
This activity offers a tour of four different venues that come together to highlight the works of an artist who revolutionized Colombian art history. Each museum will provide a special perspective on the maestro’s life and work, emphasizing his focus on local culture and society and his influence on the global artistic scene.
Saturday, September 28 / 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Guided tour: Botero Marathon
Bancolombia Art Room
As part of the commemoration of Maestro Fernando Botero’s death anniversary, curator and researcher Cristian Padilla will lead a guided tour of three important spaces: the Bancolombia Art Room, the National Museum of Colombia, and the Botero Museum.
Throughout September, join the free guided tours of the Botero Museum: Monday to Saturday, except Tuesdays, at 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., and Sundays and holidays at 12:00 p.m. No reservation required.
