In Rome the great exhibition of Fernando Botero

A year after the death of Fernando Botero, Palazzo Bonaparte in Rome dedicates a unique exhibition to the famous Colombian artist , the most complete ever held in Italy. The exhibition brings together over 120 masterpieces including paintings, sculptures, watercolors, blood and charcoal, including some exceptional unpublished ones never shown to the public.

 

 

Curated by Lina Botero, the artist's daughter, and Cristina Carrillo de Albornoz, a great expert on Botero's work, the exhibition tells the story of more than 60 years of artistic career, characterized by the exuberance of forms and the lively use of color, distinctive traits that have made Botero's style unmistakable.

Among the works on display, masterpieces such as "Menina (After Velazquez)" and "Homage to Mantegna" stand out, the latter exhibited for the first time in the world. The installation also includes reinterpretations of famous masterpieces of Renaissance and Baroque art, such as Raphael's "Fornarina" and Van Eyck's "Portrait of the Arnolfini spouses", as well as recent works such as the watercolor "Odalisque" from 2023.

 

 

The exhibition offers a journey through Botero's artistic career, exploring themes dear to the artist such as Latin American culture, circus, religion, mythology, still life and bullfighting. A room is dedicated to his latest experiments with large-format watercolors on canvas, made from 2019 until the last days of his life. These works represent a delicate and poetic synthesis of his work, a fresh approach to the themes that have defined his career.

 

 

A particularly important work is "Homage to Mantegna", inspired by Mantegna's "Bridal Chamber" in Mantua. This piece represents a tribute by Botero to Italian Renaissance art and is being presented to the public for the first time thanks to the recent discovery of Lina Botero through Christie's. In 1958, this work earned Botero first prize at the National Painting Salon of Colombia, marking a turning point in his international career.

 

 

Cristina Carrillo de Albornoz emphasizes how his stay in Italy was decisive for Botero's artistic "metamorphosis". Here, at the age of 20, confronting the masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance, he developed a fascination for volume and color that led him to define his distinctive style.

Despite his cosmopolitan style, Botero has always maintained a deep connection with his Colombian roots, transforming his memories and experiences into works that blend the essence of his homeland with Italian art. This union of cultures is visible in every work in the exhibition, where the monumentality of the forms is combined with the abundance and warmth of the colors.

 

 

The exhibition, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, the Lazio Region and the Municipality of Rome, is produced and organized by Arthemisia in collaboration with the Fernando Botero Foundation, with the support of the Fondazione Terzo Pilastro Internazionale and Poema. Numerous sponsors have contributed to the initiative, including Generali Valore Cultura, Ricola, Atac, and Frecciarossa Treno Ufficiale. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue published by Moebius, which documents in depth Botero's artistic experience and his contribution to the artistic panorama of the twentieth century.

 

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