WIDE CANVAS: Anima has showcased some of Botero’s most famous works. The exhibition has on display paintings, drawings and bronze sculptures reflecting the topics and issues that inspired Botero’s art composed in his distinctive style. Seen here is a work titled Trapecist.
By Umer Nangiana
His style ‘Boterismo’ is indeed unique yet established. His paintings and sculptures are easily distinguishable by their proportionally exaggerated ‘fat’ figures. His style is his identity and thus the underlying beauty in his work. It is Fernando Botero, the most recognised and quoted living artist from Latin America. The Colombian artist’s work has finally landed in Qatar. Anima Gallery at Pearl-Qatar has organised the first ever solo exhibition of Botero in the Gulf region.
Showcasing some of the artist’s most famous works, the exhibition has on display paintings, drawings and bronze sculptures reflecting the topics and issues that inspired Botero’s art composed in his distinctive style.
Explaining his use of large figures, Botero himself once explained, “An artist is attracted to certain kinds of form without knowing why. You adopt a position intuitively; only later do you attempt to rationalise or even justify it.”
Having his work on display in the highly visible places around the world such as Park Avenue in New York City and the Champs Elysées in Paris, Botero has won immense recognition from across the world during the last three decades. His paintings, sculptures and drawings have been collected by major international museums, corporations and private collectors.
“He is the most famous living Latin American artist. Some even say he is Pablo Picasso of Latin America. So it was obvious for us to arrange a solo exhibition for him here in Qatar. It is for the first time here in the gallery as well in the region,” Iliana Kodzhamanova, Sales and Marketing Executive at Anima Gallery, told Community at the opening of the exhibition on Tuesday.
A large number of people from Qatar’s vibrant art scene as well as dignitaries from government and diplomatic community gathered at the gallery for the opening of Botero’s solo exhibition being held under the patronage of HE Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr Hamad bin Abdul Aziz al-Kuwari.
“We are very happy that it is very well received. It was one of the biggest gatherings in fact since the opening of our gallery three years back and today people were in here half an hour before the exhibition actually opened,” Kodzhamanova added.
Paintings depicting figures in large and exaggerated volume in Botero’s typical style kept the visitors glued to the art pieces.
Botero is an abstract artist in the true sense. His choice of colours, proportions and particularly shapes is all based on natural aesthetic thought.
The exhibition, resulting from Anima’s continuous efforts over a year and half, shows a selection of Botero’s works from 2008 to 2014. It includes sculptures, drawings and paintings, which reflect the important aspects of the artist’s experience and multiple works, such as his series of the circus, family, horses and nature.
Botero’s work is known for colour vitality, intimate shapes, irony, criticism, humanity and originality revealed in simplicity in treatment, depth of content and human aspects. His works are now considered to be contemporary classics.
Botero was born on April 9, 1932 in the city of Medellín, Colombia. He describes art by saying, “I always thought that art should help man to shed all of life’s cruelty and brutality; it should be a shelter for beauty and clarity.”
He lived and moved in art capitals of the world, including Spain, Italy and France and in 1970 his portraits were shown in five museums in Germany. In the last decade of the 20th century, his most important masterpieces were a series of paintings in which he depicted the destruction that afflicted his own nation of Colombia and the torture his country underwent during the wars of the drug cartels.
Many subjects of Botero’s portraits were inspired from his early childhood and they mixed imagination with reality. They depict stories and myths that are widespread in Latin American culture.
In the year 2006, Botero changed from his common subjects in which he depicted women and men from all social classes in Latin America to unusual subjects, over 50 moving portrayals of victims of torture in the Abu Ghraib prison that came as a shock to the conscience of the world.
The exhibition running through to the first half of January next year features glimpses from some of this work by Botero. Anima also plans to take his work to Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair later this year.
“We will participate in Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair and will showcase Fernando Botero’s work alongside some regional and Qatari artists,” said Kodzhamanova.
She said the gallery which is an original concept also has a lounge just next to it where people can come, relax and enjoy artworks, also showcased in the lounge, while having a cup of coffee with their family or friends. They also hold regular art classes for children.
Anima Gallery has become an important part of the Qatari cultural scene since 2012. Along with the private sector in Qatar, the gallery contributes to cultural development. It is also considered an educational centre specialised in art classes teaching drawing, printmaking and photography for adults and children.