Fernando Botero

Fernando Botero was born in 1932 in Medellin, Colombia. He paints in the neo-figurative style and calls himself "the most Colombian of Colombian artists". He largely paints large people – figures that are much larger than life in all parts of their body. His critics often call them “fat people”. Botero doesn’t know the reason why he paints such obese forms.

Botero grew up looking at paintings in his local Catholic church. These were in the centuries-old Baroque style and influenced his style. He was never rich enough to visit galleries and see other works. He held his first exhibition when he was 20, in the capital Bogota. He used the money he received to go to Europe to study art.