Reclining Woman with Fruit

Material

Bronze, brown patina; 337.2 x 360.7 x 116.8 cm, edition 1/2

Dating

1996

About the artist

Since his childhood the Columbian painter and sculptor was very much interested in art – the baroque style of the colonial churches and houses in Medellín and pre-Columbian art have influenced him a lot – but he grew up in very humble surroundings. The family did not have the financial means to support his wish to become an artist. Hence, Botero went to a matador school for several years and painted only casually. In 1948 he finally had his breakthrough with his first exhibition. More exhibitions followed and with the money he had earned, he was finally able to pay for his stay in Europe where he wanted to study the Old Masters.
Therefore, he went to Madrid where he financed his studies at the Academia de San Fernando by copying paintings exhibited in the Prado Museum and selling them to tourists. After his studies, he travelled to Paris to visit the Louvre. Then he moved on to Florence, to study the paintings of the Renaissance artists. All these impressions have influenced him considerably and left their mark on his oeuvre.
Botero first followed Francisco de Goya’s and Diego Velázquez’s footsteps before he developed his own distinct style. After his move to New York during the 1960s, he started to combine exaggerated, at times deformed naked human shapes with elaborated elements of South American folk art. These two motives can be found throughout his oeuvre and characterise Botero’s unique style.