Belgium hosts 1st exhibition of Fernando Botero’s artwork

Mons, Belgium, Oct 9 (EFE).- Beaux-Arts Mons is hosting the first exhibition of the Colombian artist Fernando Botero’s artwork in Belgium.

The exhibit, which runs until 30 January 2022, features a wide collection of the Colombian’s drawings and sculptures from his beginning in the 1940s until now.

The exposition aims to showcase “a little beyond the common imaginary” that exists about his works, known for the curvilinear and voluminous figures, curator Cecilia Braschi told Efe.

“His work is a concentration of the exaltation of the form,” Braschi said, adding that behind these figures “there is great complexity”.

Through these deformed figures he conveys “a familiar, supportive and ironic vision of society”, as well as a critical appraisal of the “violence and injustices of his time,” she added.

The exhibition comprises of 120 pieces from private collections and museums from different countries, including a painting of tortured men inspired by the Iraqi Abu Gharib prison violence in 2004.

“This is a series little known in Europe, but completely emblematic of the political commitment that Botero also has towards the society of his time,” Braschi commented.

As an extension of the exhibition, with the aim of bringing Botero’s work even closer to citizens, a monumental sculpture was placed in the Mons square.

Although he could not visit the exhibition, the artist is following it with enthusiasm, the curator said.

This exhibition is the continuation of the BAM museum project that explores the work of the great artists of the 20th century, from Keith Haring to Niki de Saint Phalle, through Andy Warhol, David LaChapelle and Roy Lichtenstein. EFE