'Botero’s women' is presented in Madrid, an event attended by the Colombian artist himself

On October 9th, ARTIKA presented its new work, Botero’s women. An artist’s book that pays tribute to the Colombian maestro’s female subjects, and which invites us to discover the work of the painter, draughtsman and sculptor, Fernando Botero. Ever since his earliest days, women have been a constant feature in his work, in which the female form has become a symbol of his personal style, known as Boterismo.

The Salón Rojo at the Santo Mauro hotel in Madrid was the venue for the event presented by Juan Ribalta, the CEO of ARTIKA, and with the presence of the artist himself and José Creuheras, the President of Grupo Planeta. During the presentation, the characteristics of this numbered, limited edition of 2,998 copies were explained in detail to journalists from the media specialised in culture, art and luxury items, a group that broadly represented the main national media organs.

“I am the painter of volume, not of fat women” Botero pointed out during the presentation of the work, an ode to femininity in book form. “I believe that it is important to create something in which the painting takes place using free, imaginative and innovative criteria. This makes it possible to surprise and to be surprised”, he added. And precisely because of that capacity to surprise, this is not just any book; it is a work of art in itself. A work in which the 86-year-old Botero has been involved throughout the entire process of its creation.

Botero’s women is presented in a spectacular case-sculpture that features a detail from the Colombian artist’s painting Head (2006). The Art Book contains 45 plates accompanied by extracts from short stories written by Botero. Meanwhile, the Study Book, written by Professor Lourdes Cirlot, provides a masterly overview of Botero’s artistic life.