Along with the Museo del Oro, Bogota’s Museo Botero is my other favorite that I’d recommend making time for. It’s a short walk from Hotel Casa Deco or the Museum of Gold, it’s free, and it’s connected to two other museums: Museo de Arte Miguel Urrutia (which hosts a collection of modern art and rotating contemporary exhibits), and the Museo Casa de Moneda (which focuses on historical, colonial-era pieces). This one stop will give you a full-course artistic meal. And did I mention it’s FREE?
You’ll also get to see the Mona Lisa, and a large canvas of a deliciously oversized pear:
When Botero’s paintings are reduced in size and displayed as jpegs online, they lose a lot of what makes them so impressive and enjoyable. These are six-foot tall paintings. There’s a level of detail you can really take time to stand in front of and explore. There’s something so entrancing about the colors and the unique proportions Botero uses in his work.
The painting is Botero’s “Terremoto de Popayán”. I didn’t catch the name of the bronze. Look for Botero’s sculptures in parks around Colombia. They’re instantly recognizable and like meeting an old friend in the park.
Who is Fernando Botero?
Fernando Botero, born in Medellin, Colombia, in 1932, is arguably Colombia’s most famous painter and sculptor. He briefly trained to be a bull fighter but has been selling his art since at least the age of sixteen, when he sold some illustrations to a major newspaper and had his first group exhibition.
The subjects of his work span the range of human life. He has painted scenes of Colombian villages, victims of abuse at Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq, and tables of fruit and ice cream.
Address: Cl. 11 #4-41, Bogotá
Hours: 9am to 7pm, except Tuesdays, when it is CLOSED. And on Sundays it’s open from 10am to 5pm.
Cost: FREE FREE FREE
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