Colombia Contemporary art
María Berrío is a Colombian-born visual artist working in Brooklyn, New York. She is known for her use of Japanese print paper, which she cuts and tears to create collages with details painted in with watercolour. Berrío draws from Colombian folklore and South American literature.
Fernando Botero Angulo was a Colombian painter and sculptor, celebrated for his volumetric stylization of figures and objects in his works. Born in Medellín, Colombia, Botero's signature style, known as "Boterismo", portrays people and animals in exaggerated and inflated shapes, often conveying social criticism or humor.
Fernando Botero's journey into the art world was marked by his early rejection of traditional artistic paths, opting instead to explore an innovative style that would later dominate his career. His art, infused with a mix of political satire and playful humor, has graced numerous galleries and public spaces worldwide. Notable public installations include his sculptures in Park Avenue, New York City, and the Champs-Élysées in Paris. His works are in the collections of many major international museums and have fetched high sums at auctions.
Fernando Botero's ability to capture the human condition through rounded, corpulent figures has endeared him to a global audience. His notable works such as "The Presidential Family" and "The Death of Pablo Escobar" are poignant commentaries on Colombian politics and society. Furthermore, Botero donated significant numbers of his works to Colombian museums, enriching the cultural heritage of his native country.
His influence extends beyond paintings and sculptures, as Fernando Botero has also engaged with social issues through his art. His series on Abu Ghraib prison abuses reflects his commitment to human rights and his capacity to address painful subjects through his distinct aesthetic.
For those interested in the vibrant world of art and culture, Botero's work remains a testament to the power of visual satire and cultural commentary. To stay updated on exhibitions and auctions featuring Fernando Botero’s works, sign up for alerts and dive deeper into the rich legacy of this monumental artist.
Luis Caballero Holguín was a Colombian painter, watercolourist, pastellist and lithographer. Caballero is known for depicting masculine figures, which often include both erotic and violent imagery. He is viewed as one of the most important figures in Colombian art.
Olga de Amaral is a Colombian textile and visual artist known for her large-scale abstract works made with fibers and covered in gold and/or silver leaf. Because of her ability to reconcile local concerns with international developments, de Amaral became one of the few artists from South America to become internationally known for her work in fiber during the 1960s and ‘70s. She is also considered an important practitioner in the development of postwar Latin American Abstraction. She currently lives and works in Bogotá, Colombia.
Ana Mercedes Hoyos was a Colombian painter, sculptor and a pioneer in modern art in the country. In her half-century of artistic works, she garnered over seventeen awards of national and international recognition. Beginning her career in a Pop Art style which moved towards abstract, her trajectory moved toward cubism and realism as she explored light, color, sensuality and the bounty of her surroundings. Her reinterpretations of master painters led her to an exploration of Colombian multiculturalism, and her later works focused on Afro-Colombian and mestizo heritage within the Colombian landscape.
Oscar Murillo is an artist working within the painting tradition. He currently lives and works in various locations.
In 2019, he co-won the Turner Prize after requesting with his fellow nominees (Tai Shani, Helen Cammock, and Lawrence Abu Hamdan) that the jury award the prize for the first time to all four nominated artists.
Oscar Murillo works across painting, installation, and performance, often using draped black canvases, large-scale paintings composed of stitched-together fragments, and metal structures evoking autopsy tables and rock-like sculptures formed of corn and clay. His practice can be understood as a sustained and evolving investigation of community, informed by his cross-cultural personal ties between Colombia and the UK.
