Museo Botero

We had planned an easier day today and were in no rush to get out. Traffic is banned from the centre of Bogota on Sundays. The streets are given over to walkers, joggers, skaters, and cyclists in an initiative called Cyclovia. It makes it really pleasant to just wander around and 'people watch' - one of our favourite activities wherever we are in the world! The forecast rain never came - it was warm and sunny all day.

All of the museums in Bogota are free on Sundays, too. There are a plethora of them. The only one I was keen to visit, though, was the Museo Botero.

Fernando Botero Angulo was born in Medellin in 1932 and died in Monaco in 2023. His signature style, also known as "Boterismo", depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political criticism or humour, depending on the piece. He was considered the most recognized and quoted artist from Latin America in his lifetime, and his art can be found in highly visible places around the world, such as Park Avenue in New York City and the Champs -Élysées in Paris.

In 2005, Botero gained considerable attention for his Abu Ghraib series, which was exhibited first in Europe. He based the works on reports of United States forces' abuses of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison during the Iraq War. Beginning with an idea he had had on a plane journey, Botero produced more than 85 paintings and 100 drawings in exploring this concept and "painting out the poison." The series was exhibited at two United States locations in 2007, including Washington, DC. Botero said he would not sell any of the works but would donate them to museums.

I have been aware of Botero for a long time and remember hearing about his passing on the news last year. I like his figurative style and his literal titles, 'Man on a Horse', 'Woman Smoking', and 'Cat', for example. It was great to see so many of his works together in one place. I hadn’t realised that he was as prolific a sculptor as he was a painter.

On the second floor of the museum, there are works by other artists such as Lucien Freud, Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, and Salvador Dali, many of which were donated by Botero himself. We spent a very enjoyable hour or two looking at the exhibits with big smiles on our faces!Read more