Colombian artist Fernando Botero died | He is 91 years old

Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero, the most famous Colombian artist known for his sculptures of colorful people, died on Friday at the age of 91. Medellín, his hometown, declared a seven days of mourning.

The artist, born on April 19, 1932, continued to paint in his studio until he suffered from pneumonia for which he had to be hospitalized, but on Thursday he left the hospital to recover at home, according to W Radio.

His daughter Lina Botero, speaking to Caracol Radio, explained that he died in Monaco this morning: “He had been in poor health for five days because he had pneumonia.” “He died at the age of 91, he had an extraordinary life and he left at the right time,” said his daughter, shocked, and remembered him as a man “who dedicated his life to his country , which is the subject of his artistic work.”

“Fernando Botero died, the painter of our traditions and defects, the painter of our virtues. The painter of our violence and peace. The dove was thrown a thousand times and placed on his throne a thousand times moments,” he wrote on the social network Twitter the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro. He mentioned the dove that was exhibited at Casa Nariño (headquarters of the president) and that was given to the artist to celebrate the agreement with the FARC in 2016.

“We deeply regret the departure of Fernando Botero, one of the greatest artists of Colombia and the world. Always generous to his country, a great friend, and a passionate builder of peace. Our most sincere condolences to his entire family,” he declared for his former president Juan Manuel Santos side.

Botero’s career

The painter studied in Colombia and at the Royal Academy of Art of San Fernando, in Madrid. He began exhibiting in the 1960s in the United States, having his first exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Center where he began to show his characteristic figurative style.

Botero left a long work of art; from his characteristic and extraordinary Mona Lisa to couples with thick forms dancing, passing through his sculptures that adorn the corners of the world, but above all his native Medellín, where he many works are given.