Fernando Botero, a famous Colombian artist, is known all over the world for his unique style, which features large, curvy figures. Botero has made a lot of paintings, sculptures, and drawings over the course of his long career. His paintings, sculptures, and drawings can be found in important galleries and collections all over the world.
This huge amount of work has not only made him a famous artist but has also helped him make a lot of money. In this piece, we look at Fernando Botero’s net worth. We look at how much money he has made as an artist and how his unique style has affected his finances.
Fernando Botero Net Worth
It is estimated that Fernando Botero is worth at least $100 million. Fernando Botero’s considerable net worth is primarily attributable to his accomplishments as an artist and sculptor.
His paintings are characterized by the distinctive “Boterismo” style and exaggerated proportions and subjects, and they have attracted the great interest of art collectors, institutions, and galleries all over the world.
Botero’s wealth has greatly increased as a result of the high prices that his paintings, sculptures, and sketches have fetched at auction.
Additionally, Botero’s works are routinely displayed in prestigious international institutions and are part of exhibitions all over the world, which enhances both his reputation and the value of his works.
He has donated artwork to museums and other cultural institutions in Colombia and abroad as part of his charity activity, which has left a lasting impact. Being a well-known Colombian figurative artist and sculptor, Fernando Botero has a substantial net worth.
Fernando Botero Biography
David Botero (1895-1936) and Flora Angulo (1898-1972) welcomed Fernando Botero into the world in Medelln in 1932. When Fernando was four years old, his horseback-riding salesman father passed away from a heart attack.
His mother supported the family by working as a seamstress. His uncle had a significant impact on his life. Botero was impacted by the city life of Medelln and the Baroque architecture of the colonial churches while growing up while being cut off from the art as it is displayed in museums and other cultural institutions.
Botero completed his elementary education at the Ateneo Antioqueo before continuing his senior study at the Jesuit School of Bolivar with the help of a scholarship. For two years beginning in 1944, Botero’s uncle sent him to a matador school.
Botero’s first illustrations were published in 1948 when he was 16 years old in the Sunday edition of El Colombiano, one of the most significant newspapers in Medelln. He paid for his high school education at the Liceo de Marinilla de Antioquia with the money he was paid.
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Fernando Botero’s Personal Life
Botero has two marriages. He had three children—Fernando, Lina, and Juan Carlos—with his first wife, Gloria Zea (1935–2019), who later served as the director of the Colombian Institute of Culture (Colcultura). After their divorce in 1960, Botero relocated to New York and stayed there for 14 years before relocating to Paris.
Botero moved in with Cecilia Zambrano in 1964. Their son, born in 1974, died in a car accident in which Botero also suffered injuries in 1979. In 1975, Botero and Zambrano divorced.
Botero’s second wife was the Greek artist Sophia Vari (1940–2023), with whom he had homes in Pietrasanta, Italy, as well as in Paris and Monte Carlo. A show of Botero’s artwork was held in Pietrasanta to honour his 80th birthday.
Fernando Botero’s Career
The first time Botero’s art was seen publicly was in a collective exhibition with other local painters in 1948. Before relocating to Bogotá in 1951, Botero worked as a set designer from 1949 to 1950. Before enrolling in San Fernando Academy, the young Botero supported his artistic talents by working as a newspaper illustrator.
A still-life painting of apples from Botero’s early career, which was influenced by 20th-century painters and European art historical movements, was bought by the Pérez Art Museum Miami.
A few months after arriving, his first one-man show was presented at the Galera Leo Matiz in Bogotá. With a group of artists, Botero travelled to Barcelona in 1952, where he spent a short time before continuing on to Madrid.
Botero attended the Academia de San Fernando in Madrid where he studied. He went to Bogotá in 1952, where he visited the Leo Matiz gallery and held a solo exhibition.
Botero relocated to Paris in 1953 and spent the majority of his time studying the artwork in the Louvre. From 1953 to 1954, he resided in Florence where he studied the works of Renaissance artists.
Later in life, he spent the majority of his time in Paris, but he did return to his hometown of Medelln once a year for one month. His art commanded selling prices in the millions of dollars, and he has more than 50 exhibitions in significant locations throughout the world. He received the ninth annual Salón de Artistas Colombianos in 1958.
A collection of 27 drawings and 23 paintings by Botero, depicting the violence in Colombia from 1999 to 2004, were displayed in 2004. He gave the artwork to Colombia’s National Museum, where it was first displayed.
Earning Endorsement and Achievement
In 2008, 20 paintings and watercolours from Botero’s captivating “The Circus” collection were on display. On the other hand, he claimed in a 2010 interview that he was willing to look into other subjects, noting the return to simplification with still-life compositions.
In addition to his artistic work, Botero contributed to museums in Bogota and his hometown of Medelln. In 2000, he donated 123 of his own works, 85 items from his own collection, and well-known works by Chagall, Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, and the French Impressionists to the Museo Botero in Bogotá.
In addition, he donated 119 pieces to the Museum of Antioquia, including 23 bronze figures that adorned Medellin’s Botero Plaza. Other monuments can be found in Berrio Park and San Antonio Plaza.
Botero made “La Paloma de la Paz” in reaction to the Colombian peace process, and he presented it in 2016 to commemorate the signing and ratification of the deal. Fernando Botero has acquired numerous automobiles and homes during the course of his career.
Along with producing art, Botero contributed to the museums in his native Medelln and Bogotá. In 2000, he donated 123 of his own works, 85 items from his own collection, and well-known works by Chagall, Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, and the French impressionists to the Museo Botero in Bogotá.
In addition, he donated 119 pieces to the Museum of Antioquia, including 23 bronze figures that adorned Medellin’s Botero Plaza. Both the nearby Berrio Park and San Antonio Plaza contain more statues.
