Botero’s art came into being in Montecarlo, in the privacy of one of his studios; a unique and unmistakable style that has made the Colombian maestro into the painter and sculptor of volume par excellence, becoming one of the most highly-valued contemporary artists in the international arts world.

ARTIKA pays homage to this great craftsman of beauty with Botero’s women, an artist’s book created under the supervision and in collaboration with Fernando Botero. A limited edition of 2,798 numbered copies in Arabic numerals and 200 copies in Roman numerals, all signed by the artist.

Botero’s women follows Botero’s artistic career, paying particular attention to one of the artist’s most recurring themes: the female figure. This carefully-produced edition is comprised of three parts: the Art Book, the Study Book and a stunning case-sculpture in which to keep the two volumes.

The case-sculpture has been created specifically to accommodate this unique edition. Made entirely by hand, it is a work of art in itself. In the image on the front (a detail from the work Head, painted by the artist in 2006) a slight emboss effect is visible, in homage to the volume that is so characteristic of Fernando Botero’s paintings and sculptures.

Inside the case-sculpture we find the two volumes of the work: the Art Book and the Study Book, both specially designed so that when placed together, they form the same image of the painting that appears on the case.

The Art Book, the central item of the work, begins with an introduction from the Nobel prize-winner for Literature Mario Vargas Llosa, which was written especially for this edition. In this volume, readers can admire 45 plates featuring drawings selected personally by Fernando Botero. To print the plates, two types of paper have been used, a watercolour paper and a handmade paper that imitates the amate paper the artist uses in some of his works.