Late Colombian artist Botero honored with outdoor sculpture exhibit in Rome

ROME (AP) — The streets and piazzas of Rome have been transformed into an open-air museum showcasing eight of the famously voluminous and whimsical sculptures by the late Colombian artist Fernando Botero, thanks to the efforts of his daughter, Lina Botero.

This exhibition is a tribute to the celebrated artist, who passed away on September 15, 2023, at the age of 91 in Monaco, where he maintained a studio. Botero also had a significant connection to Italy, living for many years in Pietrasanta, a town in Tuscany. His final resting place is beside his third wife, the artist Sophia Vari, in Pietrasanta.

“I am sure my father would be very moved because Italy was always like a second home country for him,’’ Lina Botero shared with Italian television channel TV2000.

All of the statues in this exhibit were created by Botero while he was in Italy, highlighting his deep affection for the country, which partly stemmed from his admiration for Renaissance masters.

Botero’s sculptures have graced parks and avenues in numerous European and Latin American capitals, but this marks their first large-scale display in Rome. The exhibition runs through October 1.

Art enthusiasts can embark on a Botero trail that begins at the central Villa Borghese park. Here, “Lying Woman” gazes out over Rome’s rooftops towards St. Peter’s Basilica from the vantage point of the Pincio Terrace. In the Piazza del Popolo, “Adam and Eve” face each other. “Horse with Bridle” can be found on Via del Corso, a central shopping street in Rome, and the trail concludes near the Piazza di Spagna with “Seated Woman.”

Sara Belloni, a local resident, paused to take a photo of “Adam and Eve” and remarked, “We could tell from afar those are Boteros. The aesthetic is completely the opposite compared to what one usually sees around. Where skinny is beautiful, he does the exact opposite.”

Lorenzo Zichichi, representing one of the exhibition’s co-organizers, emphasized that calling the sculptures fat would be a misunderstanding.

“Botero has always said that he has never painted a fat woman and he has never sculpted a fat woman,” explained Zichichi, president of the Il Cigno publishing house. This company presented the exhibition in collaboration with the Fernando Botero Foundation and BAM art events. “What fascinated him was the volume.”