Botero Museum in Bogota is a Must-See Destination

The Botero Museum in Bogota is a must-see destination that will blow your mind away. It’s not your regular museum infested with European paintings but with the works of Colombia’s living artist – Fernando Botero. Even if you’ve never heard of his name, you have seen some of his works.

The first time I read about Fernando Botero was on a 30-minute train ride from Bratislava to Vienna. Someone left a magazine on a seat next to mine, and I found a feature of Botero’s paintings and sculptures. His works are definitely one of a kind, something you should see before your naked eyes.

Botero’s Distinctive Style

Botero is, perhaps, fascinated with oversized characters of humans, animals, and objects. You could describe them as fat, plump, or chubby. Or others might say, cute. And one thing I notice is that – all his subjects have flawless, smooth skin! 😉

Botero must have his influences from Peter Paul Rubens, a Flemish master who also painted plump women as his art subjects. His pastels were perhaps influenced by Diego Velazquez, the Spanish master painter.

Museo Botero

And so before I landed in Bogota, there were two museums that I was dying to see: Museo Botero and Museo del Oro. I couldn’t contain my excitement when I finally stepped into the museum.

Good thing our tour guide was patient enough to let us wander on our own. He did not need to tell us every story of the painting because the artworks carry descriptions in English. But he answered our questions every time we were curious about one art to another.

Bogota’s Botero Museum has 123 artworks donated by the artist himself.

The collection includes sculptures, paintings, sanguines, drawings, and pastels. They are all arranged wonderfully, and each can’t be ignored.

There is one piece of painting here that is recognizable but different – Botero’s version of the Monalisa.

Also, there are about 85 art pieces from well-known artists worldwide. Find the classical works of Monet, Picasso, Miro, Chagall, and Matisse – to name a few.

Fernando Botero is still alive and active as an artist. He shuffles between Paris, Tuscany, and New York. And guess what? He doesn’t have a generous amount of girth. Google his image. 😊

Getting a Guide in Bogota

We were in Bogota for a 16-hour layover on my way to Lima, Peru. So, to maximize our time, we had to get a reliable tour guide with 24-hour free cancellation. Getting into the Botero Museum was part of the walking tour we booked from GetYourGuide. You can also find works of Botero in Medellin, Colombia.