BOTERO

S E G U Í
 FOREWORD
Gilles Dyan
Founder and Chairman, Opera Gallery Group

Opera Gallery New York is proud to

place in dialogue two great figures of 20th
and 21st centuries Latin American art. Ha-
ving studied and drawn their inspiration
3 4
away from their home countries, both
artists have left their lasting mark on the
international contemporary art scene.
Botero and Seguí have created very dis-
tinctive universes, full of bright colors and
cartoonesque characters. An inflated or
excessive world through which the artists
take a fresh and sharp look at the idiosyn-
crasies and nonsenses of modern life.
FERNANDO
BOTERO
 A Family
2010

Oil on canvas
7 165 x 171 cm - 65 x 67.3 in.
9

The Street Maternity

2011 2011

Oil on canvas Oil on canvas

101 x 72 cm - 39.8 x 28.3 in. 101 x 72 cm - 39.8 x 28.3 in.
 Mother and Child
2003

Oil on canvas
11 123 x 93.5 cm - 48.4 x 36.8 in.
 A Family
2011

Pencil and watercolor on canvas

13 98 x 136 cm - 38.6 x 53.5 in.
15
17

Previous pages
The Beach House
2009 1995

Oil on canvas Oil on canvas

147 x 208 cm - 57.9 x 81.9 in. 118 x 156 cm - 46.5 x 61.4 in.
19

Lawyer and Secretary Card Players

2010 2011

Oil on canvas Oil on canvas

206 x 129 cm - 81.1 x 50.8 in. 80 x 67 cm - 31.5 x 26.4 in.
The Whore House
2009

Oil on canvas
150 x 177 cm - 59.1 x 69.7 in.
 Dancers
2010

Oil on canvas
23 145 x 97 cm - 57.1 x 38.2 in.
 La Toilette
2009

Watercolor on paper
25 106 x 74 cm - 41.7 x 29.1 in.
 Still Life with Coffee Pot
2004

Watercolor on paper
27 31 x 37.5 cm - 12.2 x 14.8 in.
 National Holiday
2003

Oil on canvas
29 100 x 130 cm - 39.4 x 51.2 in.
 Ballerini
2012

Oil on canvas
31 90 x 68 cm - 35.4 x 26.8 in.
33

Ballerina
2013

Bronze, edition of 6
60 x 35 x 25.5 cm - 23.6 x 13.8 x 10 in.
 Ballerina

White marble, unique piece

35 64 x 39 x 28 cm - 25.2 x 15.4 x 11 in.
 The Bird
2006

Bronze, edition of 6
37 50 x 18 x 22 cm - 19.7 x 7.1 x 8.7 in.
 BIOGRAPHY

One has to keep in mind Botero’s Latin American origins to bet-

ter understand his work. Botero was born in 1932 in Medellín,
Colombia. In those days, it was a small isolated town renowned
for its remarkable Baroque architecture; a legacy of the Spanish
colonial regime.

He was 4 years old when his father passed away. Although he

proved to be a talent in drawing at an early age, the future
perspectives of having an artistic career were slim so his uncle
sent the young Fernando to a Matador school. He would stay there
for only 2 years before going back to his passion for drawing and
painting. This experience would have a great influence on him
though, and he would later on paint remarkable scenes of
bullfighting.

In 1948, when he was only 16, his drawings were published in the

© AFP
magazine El Colombiano and he also wrote a few articles on
contemporary European art.
In 1951, he settled in Bogotá and participated in several collec-
tive exhibitions. He won a prize at the Salon of the Colombian "In art, as long as you have ideas and think, you are bound to deform nature.
Artists and used the money he received to travel to Europe.
In 1952, he headed for Spain where he attended the Fine Art Art is deformation."
Academy in Madrid. He became acquainted with the works of
Diego Velázquez and by other great masters of Spanish Baroque
art. He also visited Florence where he discovered the masterpieces
of the Italian Renaissance. Born in 1932 in Medellín, Colombia
Academy San Fernando, Madrid, Spain
On his return to Latin America, Botero studied the works of Lives and works between Paris, France, New York, USA and Tuscany, Italy
Mexican artists such as David Alfaro Siqueiros and Diego Rivera.
In 1957, he painted Still Life with Mandolin. As he was painting it, Selected prizes and honors
he noticed that by reducing the size of the sound hole on the
mandolin, the proportions were altered and the volume of the
instrument became huge: The Botero style was born! 1952 Second Prize, Salón de Artistas Colombianos, Bogotá, Colombia
1958 First Prize, Salón de Artistas Colombianos, Bogotá, Colombia
In 1960, he moved to New York and in 1961, the Museum of Mo- 2012 International Sculpture Center’s Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award, Hamilton, USA
dern Art of New York bought his artwork Mona Lisa, Age Twelve.
His work was finally recognized by the public and by his peers.
Public collections and spaces
In 1973, he left New York for Paris and dedicated himself to
sculpture which was the natural progression of his pictural world:
a third dimension was added to his characters. Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA
Hishborn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C., USA
The art of Fernando Botero is above all characterized by full, Park Avenue, New York, USA
generous, voluptuous and sensual shapes. It gives us a feeling of Champs-Élysées, Paris, France
completeness and immoderation. However one should also ap- City of Singapore, Singapore
preciate the refined treatment of the details in his work. His art Art Collection of the Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango, Colombia
is at the same time excessive, disproportionate, unusual and Ba- Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA
roque. Botero captures the full range of humankind condition Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
from poverty to wealth, from happiness to misery. He gives body Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA
to his characters and makes them enter a new timeless dimen- Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, USA
sion. His art overtakes the shapes and colours of transience and Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, USA
grows into a reminiscent world full of mystery and sensuality. Museo dei Bozzetti, Pietrasanta, Italy
His work is universal and dwells on our time, encompassing the Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn Harbor, New York, USA
history and the Latin American roots of its author. San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, USA
Scheringa Museum voor Realisme, Spanbroek, Netherlands
Today, Botero lives between New York, Paris, Monaco and Pietra- Wichita State University Outdoor Sculpture Collection, Wichita, USA
santa in Tuscany.
A N TO N I O
S E G U Í
 Un Día de viento
2007

Acrylic on canvas
43 81 x 100 cm - 31.9 x 39.4 in.
45

Cuando cae el sol

2009

Acrylic on canvas
46 x 55 cm - 18.1 x 21.7 in.
 Recuerdos de la infancia
2014

Acrylic on canvas
47 146 x 114 cm - 57.5 x 44.9 in.
 Todos a la calle
2014

Acrylic on canvas
11 146 x 114 cm - 57.5 x 44.9 in.
13

Fiestas de guardar Pobre mi alma

2014 2013

Acrylic on canvas Acrylic on canvas

200 x 200 cm - 78.7 x 78.7 in. 200 x 200 cm - 78.7 x 78.7 in.
 Gente en la calle I
1991

Linocut
53 74.2 x 49 cm - 29.2 x 19.3 in.
17

Color de esperanza Platinada

2014

Acrylic on canvas Acrylic on canvas

200 x 200 cm - 78.7 x 78.7 in. 54 x 65 cm - 21.3 x 25.6 in.
 Paisaje urbano
2014

Acrylic on canvas
57 81 x 100 cm - 31.9 x 39.4 in.
 Mirón
2014

Acrylic on canvas
21 55 x 46 cm - 21.7 x 18.1 in.
 Yo la tengo
2011

Corten steel, edition of 4

61 52.5 x 78.5 x 15 cm - 20.7 x 30.9 x 5.9 in.
25

A la carga El Sueño del Pibe

2011 2011

Corten steel, edition of 4 Corten steel, edition of 4

44 x 59.3 x 10 cm - 17.3 x 23.3 x 3.9 in. 51.5 x 35 x 12 cm - 20.3 x 13.8 x 4.7 in.
 ANTONIO SEGUÍ

Born in Córdoba, Argentina in 1934 into a middle-class family,

Antonio Seguí is today known as a one of the most prominent Latin
American artists of his generation.

Like many of his Latin American forebears and contemporaries,

Seguí has spent a large part of his artistic career away from his
home country. Encouraged by fellow local painter Ernesto Fari-
nina to pursue the arts, he travelled through Europe and Africa
from 1951 to 1954.

© Jean-Louis Bulcao
He first went to Madrid and studied at Real Academia de Bel-
las Artes de San Fernando, and subsequently at the École des
Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied painting and sculpture. La-
ter, he returned to Argentina and studied law, while working as an
editorialist for the local newspaper.
Born in 1934, Córdoba, Argentina
In 1957, at the age of 23, Seguí realized his first individual exhibi- Academia San Fernando, Madrid, Spain
tion in Córdoba. He moved to Mexico the following year to study École des Beaux-arts, Paris, france
engraving and printmaking, and settled in Buenos Aires towards
the end of 1960. His work of this period is abstract and textural,
and coincides with an interest in Pre-Columbian art born of regu- Selected prizes and honors
lar trips through the continent. His extensive journeys to different
countries have greatly encouraged his culturally diverse approach
to art, as well as a perceptive capturing of the pulse and aura of 1966 Grand Prize, National Museum of Western Art, V Tokyo International Print Biennial, Japan
contemporary urban culture that is rife in his opus. 1967 Grand Prize, Salón Latinoamericano de Dibujo y Grabado, Caracas, Venezuela
Grand Prize, Salón Internacional de La Habana, Havana, Cuba
Since 1963, Seguí has been living in Paris, where he held his own Grand Prize, Salón Latinoamericano de San Juan, Puerto Rico
workshop and taught at the École nationale supérieure des 1st International Prize of the city of Darmstadt, Germany
Beaux-arts of Paris. This period also marked his transition from 1968 Grand Prize, Cracow Engraving Biennial, Poland
abstraction to figuration, when he began championing his signa- 1969 Transturist Skofja Loka Prize, VIII International Engraving Exhibition, Ljubljana, Slovenia
ture graphic cartoon-like style. 1980 Medal of Honour, VIII Cracow International Engraving Biennial, Poland
1983 Knight of the order of Arts and Letters, France
Seguí ’s painting is rich in tonal contrasts, a constant interplay 1986 International Latino American and Caribbean Engraving VII Biennial Prize of San Juan, Puerto Rico
between elaborate backgrounds and the multicolored perso- 1989 Di Tella Prize, las Artes Visuales, Buenos Aires, Argentina
nages that traverse a painting’s surface, each in a world of his 1990 Grand Prize, Fondo Nacional de las Artes, Buenos Aires, Argentina
own. The most recognizable feature of Seguí ’s work is the carica- Prize, las Artes Visuales (Trayectoria de un artista), AICA - Sección Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
turesque draughtsmanship, which gives a vibrant cadence to the 1995 Gold Medal, XI Norsk Internasjonal Grafikk Triennale, Fredrikstad, Norway
ow of the nameless multitudes. What is singular in the work is the 2002 Michetti Prize, Francavilla al Mare, Italy
artist’s capacity to give a cast of thousands the hope of a certain Konex de Platino Prize, (Gráfica), Buenos Aires, Argentina
individuality. 2008 Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters, France

A major retrospective of his career was hosted by the Frissiras

Museum in Athens, Greece, in 2004, and by the Musée National Selected public collections
d’Art Moderne in Paris in 2005.
Museum of Modern Art, New York Museum of Fine Arts, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York Museu de Arte Moderna, Rio de Janeiro
“Many characters and Museum of the Americas, Washington DC Museum of Contemporary Art, São Paulo
Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach, California Frissiras Museum, Athens
elements of my work can certainly be Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris Museum der Moderne Salzburg
compared with comics. I accept them Paris National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo Museum of Modern Art Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik
Library of Congress, Washington DC Museo Tamayo, Mexico City
with my clearest conscience.” Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
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