We pay tribute to Fernando Botero on the first anniversary of his death
In September 2023, at the age of 91, the Colombian painter left us. After a life dedicated to art, he earned international respect by creating a unique style of which he would be the sole exponent: Boterismo. His memory remains immortal in the two works he created in collaboration with ARTIKA: Botero’s Women (2018) and Vía Crucis (2022).
Born in a small town in Colombia in 1932, Fernando Botero showed from a young age the qualities that would make him a world-renowned painter and sculptor and the most recognizable artist of his time. With a unique and nonconformist character, he was expelled from high school for writing an article in which he expressed his opinion about those who were unable to appreciate the art of someone like Picasso.
His concerns were too great for the small Medellín in Antioquia, from where he would depart to the port of Barcelona to admire firsthand the works of great European museums in Spain, France, and Italy. Upon his return to his homeland, making a stop with the Mexican muralists of his time, he finally had a good “backpack” of thematic and pictorial references upon which to build his own style.
Botero’s Women: the first collaboration with ARTIKA
His special sensitivity to the beauty and forms of the human body was expressed, like so many before him, through the female figure, a constant in the history of painting and sculpture. This ode to the female body in all its forms, which in Botero’s work spans from the costumbrismo of unnamed women to mythological and religious figures, was the subject of the Colombian artist’s first collaboration with ARTIKA.
Botero’s Women encapsulated all the essence of the artist regarding the representation of women, with 45 drawings selected by the artist. Multiple images, all of them suggestive, sensual, intense, full of life, and deeply expressive and recognizable thanks to the characteristic volume that Botero infused into all his creations. Additionally, the edition includes a journey through the Master’s career and the fundamental role of drawing within his art, and it highlights the importance of the female figure with a series of stories written by the painter, as well as an analysis of the 45 drawings that make up this artist’s book.
Left: Mujer (Woman), 2002. Watercolor on paper, 15.7 x 11.8 in.
Right: Mujer frente a un espejo (Woman facing a mirror), 1997. Watercolor on paper, 15.7 x 12.2 in.
Vía Crucis: the great homage to his native Colombia and the classics that inspired him
Fernando Botero’s tireless and restless mind led him to create a second volume that was both universal and intimate: a work dedicated to the 34 drawings of his Vía Crucis series, a key biblical event in the history of art, now beautifully framed by elements of his own culture and native land. The project was created in close collaboration with the Museum of Antioquia, to which Botero had donated his entire series (34 drawings and 27 oils) as a gesture of affection and another effort to promote art, culture, and peace in Colombia.
With a subject as significant as the Passion of Christ, such illustrious references as Velázquez, Rembrandt, or Piero della Francesca were fundamental, although Botero never forgot his own origins, roots, and culture, which were constantly present in his book. This edition extols the Master’s contribution to the universalization of culture and the impact of his efforts on his native Colombia. Botero’s humanism and sensitivity toward everything around him give his drawings a level of connection and social commitment capable of captivating the world, awakening empathy in the public in the face of the pain and injustice he constantly denounced.
Left: El beso de Judas (The Kiss of Judas), 2010. Watercolor and pencil on paper, 15.7 x 11.8 in.
Right: Jesús y su madre (Jesus and His Mother), 2011. Watercolor, pencil and colored pencil on paper, 15.7 x 11.8 in.
The best memory of an irreplaceable artist
These editions, both limited to 2,998 numbered copies—some signed by the artist—are further proof of the passion Botero felt for his work, to which he dedicated himself tirelessly until the end of his days, happy with what he did and fortunate that the world appreciated all the beauty and color with which he created his immortal works. Both editions were presented in imposing display cases with all the beauty and magnetism of Boterismo.
On the anniversary of his death, ARTIKA aims to keep the art and spirit of Fernando Botero alive: marveling at his work, spreading it, and fondly remembering the privilege of collaborating with such an irreplaceable artist on two occasions. We do not forget you, Master.
