Fernando Botero
MUJER A CABALLO, 1999
Bronze
Ed. E.A. 2/2
24 1/2 x 16 x 12 1/2 in
62.2 x 40.6 x 31.8 cm
Available at Surovek Gallery
The works of Fernando Botero have been garnering increased global attention and his auction sales have more than doubled since 2020.
Botero was born in 1932 in Medellín, Colombia. His father died when Botero was four-years-old, leaving his widowed mother to care for herself and her three sons. Although his early years were a struggle, Botero always loved to draw and paint. He had his first illustrations published in a reputable newspaper in Medellin when he was just 16, and his first solo show in Bogota when he was 19.
His paintings and sculptures of round, voluptuous figures and objects made his South America’s best known and beloved artist. Although Botero sometimes focused his works on political issues, he was able to infuse his work with kindness and humor.
It has been a decade since Botero’s art was exhibited in Asia. More than 80 works by Botero are currently on view at the Guangdong Museum of Art in China. The Botero Exhibit, which commemorates the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Colombia, will remain at the Guangdong Museum through November 23, 2025 and then travel to venues in Singapore and South Korea.
At Christie’s, a 1979 painting, The Musicians, sold for $5.1 million in 2023, an auction record for the artist’s work, and Man on Horse, an 11-foot bronze sculpture sold for $4.3 million in 2022.
Botero was a very generous man. He donated more than 300 works, both his own and those by 19th- and 20th-century European Masters, to the Museum of Antioquia in Medellín and to the Banco de la República in Bogotá, which is now the Botero Museum.
Fernando Botero died, from complications of pneumonia, on 15 September 2023, in Monaco. He was 91. His monumental sculptures can be seen in cities around the world, including New York, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Jerusalem, Bamberg and Yerevan.
Alex Katz turned 98 on July 24th and shows no signs of slowing down.
He currently has solo exhibits at the Colby Museum of Art in Main, the Gray Gallery in Chicago and the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego (MCASD). His work will travel from MCASD to the Wichita Art Museum in Kansas. Upcoming solo shows are scheduled at SCAI Piramide in Tokyo and the Gladstone Gallery in New York.
Please contact us if you would like more information about the works of Fernando Botero and Alex Katz available at Surovek Gallery.
References:
Caroll Viana. Works by Colombia’s Botero Exhibited in China and Across Asia. ColombiaOne.com. July 14, 2025.
Katya Kazakina. Fernando Botero’s Market Is Gaining Momentum. Here’s Why. Artnet. November 21, 2024.
Sebastian Smee. Alex Katz knows when to shut up. This stunning painting proves it. The Washington Post. August 21, 2025.
