Voluptuous creations of iconic Colombian artist Botero adorn Arizona Desert Botanical Garden

[Judi Lynn]

“Fernando Botero: El Maestro” exhibit in Phoenix showcases giant bronze sculptures, cherubic paintings and draws Colombian pride

by Beatriz Limón
October 13, 2023



Among the more than 20 works of art that will be exhibited at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, two monumental sculptures stand out. One of them, “Reclining Woman,” looks enormous and shiny in its dark bronze. Credit: Desert Botanical Garden



She’s lying sidelong and sultry on a squat square slab. Soft hip, winged fingertips and dimpled chin rising toward the glow of a desert sky. Voluptuous.

Spiky saguaros and peachy sun-drenched mountains welcome her to her new home.

Her dark bronze skin drips.

Anyone standing in the space she now holds in Arizona can see she is living far from the Colombian who first dreamed of her. She’s an ancient siren basking in bronze at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.

You can join her among the succulents.

Fernando Botero christened his muse the “Reclining Woman” in 2007. A goddess under the relentless Arizona sun, it’s easy to think she may have chosen another name. Easier to think she’s lived long before the beginning of Botero or any human-bound time.



For months, people who love Botero and his iconic creations worked to bring his art to Arizona. No one expected Botero would die three weeks before the sprawling exhibit was birthed in the desert’s garden.

His creations live on in the “Fernando Botero: El Maestro” exhibit amid thousands of species of cactus, trees and flowers.

For Colombians, Botero remains as one of the greatest representatives of their culture. He is a national pride and one of the most influential Latin American artists of recent times.

More:
https://azluminaria.org/2023/10/13/voluptuous-creations-of-iconic-colombian-artist-botero-adorn-arizona-desert-botanical-garden/