Biography of Fernando Botero

Fernando Botero 1932 - Fernando Botero, the Colombian artist best known for his robust, inflated forms and exaggerated human figures, is both living history, and a living legend. Botero was born in Medelín, in the department of Antioquia, Colombia, on April 19th, 1932. His father was a traveling salesman who would travel throughout the rugged, mountainous region by donkey. He passed away suddenly of a heart attack when Fernando was only 2, leaving Fernando …

…his various influences. For example, his work in the 1960's clearly shows the influences of the French Paul Gauguin and of Spain's Pablo Picasso. But, his work and "persona" is said to best be compared to Peter Paul Rubens, a 17th century artist whom he greatly admires. Rubens' work was the epitome of "Baroque," whose fleshy figures "exist in a world of exuberance and plenitude in both the realms of the sacred and the profane."