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Fernando Botero Wife: Meet Sophia Vari, Gloria Zea, Cecilia Zambrano

Fernando Botero was a famous Colombian painter and sculptor whose work lasted for decades.

He was born in Medelln, Colombia, on April 19, 1932. He was known for his unique style, which is often called “Boterismo,” and shows people and figures with a lot of volume. Depending on the piece, this style could be used to criticise the government or make people laugh.

Botero became known as one of the most famous and often-mentioned living Latin American artists. His work has been shown in famous places around the world, such as New York City’s Park Avenue and Paris’s Champs-Élysées.

In the beginning of his work, Botero was proud to say that he was “the most Colombian of Colombian artists.” When he won the top prize at the Salón de Artistas Colombianos in 1958, his fame grew all over the country. When he went to Paris in 1973, he changed his art style from painting to sculpture. By the 1990s, he was known all over the world for his sculptures.

Fernando Botero’s art was in the holdings of well-known museums, companies, and individual owners around the world. In 2012, the International Sculpture Centre gave him its Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award for his work in the art world.

In 1948, his work was shown for the first time in a group show with the work of other artists from the area. Botero worked as a set designer from 1949 to 1950. In 1951, he moved to Bogotá. Before he went to the San Fernando Academy, he worked as a cartoonist for a newspaper when he was young to help pay for his art.

Shortly after he arrived, he had his first solo show at the Galera Leo Matiz in Bogotá. In 1952, he went to Barcelona with a group of artists before going to Madrid.

Fernando Botero went to the Academia de San Fernando in Madrid to learn more about art. Then, from 1953 to 1954, he went to Florence, Italy, where he studied the works of Renaissance masters.

In the last few decades, he mostly lived in Paris, but he spent one month a year in Medelln, his city. Botero’s art was shown in more than 50 shows in major towns around the world, and his pieces sold for very high prices.

Fernando Botero kept getting praise when, in 1958, he won the ninth Salón de Artistas Colombianos. He never stopped wanting to use art as a way to express himself.

In 2004, he showed a group of 27 drawings and 23 paintings that were all about the violence in Colombia from 1999 to 2004. These pieces were given to the National Museum of Colombia by kind people.

In 2005, Fernando Botero’s Abu Ghraib series got a lot of attention around the world. This strong series had more than 85 paintings and 100 drawings, showing that he was serious about “painting out the poison.” Botero didn’t sell these pieces. Instead, he gave them to museums. In 2009, 56 of these paintings and drawings were given to the Berkeley Art Museum.

After working on the Abu Ghraib series for more than 14 months, Botero went back to themes from his early life, like family and motherhood. His works, like “Une Famille” and “Maternity,” showed a deep link to himself and his growth as an artist.

Botero showed 20 paintings and watercolors from his “The Circus” collection, which was very interesting, in 2008. In an interview in 2010, he said, “I’m ready to move on to other things,” focusing on the return to simplicity with still-life arrangements.

Botero did more than just make art. He also gave a lot of money to museums in Bogotá and his city, Medelln. In 2000, he gave the Museo Botero in Bogotá 123 pieces of his own work and 85 pieces from his personal collection. These included works by famous artists like Chagall, Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, and the French Impressionists.

He also gave 119 pieces to the Museum of Antioquia, including 23 bronze figures that are in the Botero Plaza in Medelln. You could find more statues in Berrio Park and San Antonio Plaza, which are close by.

Botero made and gave away “La paloma de la paz” in 2016 to mark the signing and approval of the peace deal in Colombia.

Fernando Botero has died, which is a sad turn of events. Fernando Botero died on September 15, 2023, from symptoms from pneumonia. He left behind a long memory in the art world and a huge impact on Colombian culture and culture around the world.

Fernando Botero Wife: Meet Sophia Vari

Gloria Zea, who Botero married, went on to be the head of Colombia’s National Institute of Culture (Colcultura). Their connection gave them three wonderful children: Fernando, Lina, and Juan Carlos. But after 1960, the Boteros split up and married other people.

Botero went to New York after he and his ex-wife broke up and lived there for 14 years. He now lives in Paris. His son Juan Carlos and daughter Lina now both live outside of Spain. In 2000, Lina went to southern Florida.

Botero started dating Cecilia Zambrano in 1964, and they got married and had a son together in 1974. In 1979, their child died in a car accident that also hurt Botero. This was a sad turn of events. So, Botero and Zambrano went their separate ways in 1975.

Fernando Botero ended up getting married to the Greek artist Sophia Vari, and his love life got back on track. They moved to Paris and Monte Carlo, and then later to Pietrasanta, Italy, where they bought a house.

Botero loved Pietrasanta very much because it was the place where a show of his best works was held to celebrate his 80th birthday. On May 5, 2023, Sophia Vari left without warning, which was a terrible blow to the marriage.

What is Fernando Botero’s Net Worth?

Fernando Botero is thought to have a net worth of at least $100 million. Fernando Botero’s large net worth comes mostly from the fact that he has worked as an artist and painter for a long time.

His work has been highly sought after by art buyers, museums, and galleries all over the world because of his unique “Boterismo” style, which features oversized shapes and themes. Botero’s paintings, sculptures, and drawings have sold at sale for a lot of money, which has helped him get rich.

Botero’s art is also often shown in well-known foreign museums and shows all over the world, which adds to his fame and the value of his work. His charitable work, such as giving art to museums and culture centers in Colombia and other places, has also added to his memory.

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