MUSEO BOTERO

In the heart of the historic center, the Botero Museum was founded in 2000, after the master Fernando Botero bequeathed to the Colombian state more than a hundred of his major works and a large part of his personal collection of works by other famous artists. Admission is free and will remain so. This was one of the conditions set by Botero, to allow any Colombian to appreciate a Picasso for example, without having to leave the country. The museum would have a thousand visitors a day, but one never feels oppressed, the setting being very pleasant, in a large colonial building dating from 1724, which was used until 1955 to welcome the archbishops during their visits to Bogotá. Botero himself participated in the restoration of the house.

The museum is of reasonable size, on two levels, with a succession of rooms with careful lighting that highlights the works, and two charming patios with plenty of room to sit and relax. A visit easily lasts two or three hours, if one wishes to appreciate all the works presented: 123 creations of the famous Colombian artist, between paintings, drawings and sculptures, but also 85 original works of artists of international renown, offering an interesting vision of the evolution of painting since the 19th century, from Camille Corot's Gitane au tambourin , prior to 1862, to Miquel Barceló's oil painting from 1988. This international collection is said to be one of the five most important in Latin America. It includes works by Monet, Matisse, Toulouse-Lautrec, Dalí, Picasso, Miró, Klimt, Ernst, Chagall, Giacometti, Beckmann, Léger and Renoir, to name only the most famous!

The works of Botero presented here date from the last decades of the 20th century. the "most Colombian of Colombian artists", as he ironically nicknamed himself, has a style all his own, especially with his round and voluptuous figures. A style that appears in his paintings, drawings and sculptures, which allows him to be associated with no movement or current, past or present. His work is mainly inspired by pre-Columbian art and popular culture, with many scenes set in Medellín, his native city. Botero celebrated his 90th birthday on April 19, 2022 in Tuscany, in Pietrasanta, the cradle of Italian sculpture, where he has resided for many years, and where some of his work is also on display.