Fernando BOTERO (1932-2023) - Lot 64

Fernando BOTERO (1932-2023) The picador, 2018 Oil on canvas signed lower right and dated 18 Bears the stencil mark of Maison Franco, Nice, on the center rail of the stretcher. 61 x 50 cm With frame (85 x 74 cm) A certificate of authenticity from the artist will be given to the buyer. Expert : Expertises Tellier, Paris / Marc-Henri TELLIER, CEFA member Bidding conditions: in view of its value, this lot is subject to bidding restrictions. In order to be able to bid, please register in advance by e-mail with a copy of your identity card and bank details. A deposit of 5,000 euros on the firm's account will be required. The lot can be viewed at our Paris offices at 3 Cité Rougemont (75009) by appointment. Provenance : Work acquired from the artist's studio in Monaco; Private collection, France. Bibliography: José Manuel Caballero Bonald, Botero La Corrida, Paris, Editions Cercle d'Art, 1990 ; Edward J. Sullivan Jean-Marie Tasset, Botero Monograph Catalogue Raisonné Paintings 1975-1990, Lausanne, Acatos Publisher, 2000; Rudy Chiappini, Botero Peintures 1959-2015, Paris, Skira, 2016. Fernando Botero was born in Medellín, Colombia, in 1932. In 1944, his uncle, a passionate bullfighter, enrolled him in a bullfighting school, where he spent two years. He was traumatized by the experience, developing a fear of bulls. Nevertheless, he remained fascinated by the world of bullfighting, and his first drawings were mainly of bullfighters and bulls. Botero once said: "My first passion was bulls... In 1983, after attending a bullfight in Medellín, he said to himself: "This is a subject worthy of interest, with a long tradition...". For two years, he painted almost exclusively bullfighting scenes and portraits. Many painters have been fascinated by the world of bullfighting. Goya, Manet and Picasso are just a few examples. Bullfighting itself is one of the world's oldest traditions, with its roots in the earliest cave paintings of Spain and the Roman Empire discovered in caves in Spain and France. Its current form dates back to the first half of the 18th century, with the matador Francisco Romero. It takes place according to a ritual and procedures defined by the bullfighter Francisco Montes, author of a treatise on bullfighting published in 1836. After the paseo, the initial parade of all participants, the fight is divided into three tercios. The first tercio consists of a confrontation between two picadors and the bull. They wound the bull with a long pike, both weakening it and assessing its behavior. It is this theme of the picador that Botero represents in our painting, dated 2018, by portraying one of them. The man is depicted in bust and profile. There is no visible emotion on his face, which is reminiscent of the hieratic style of ancient Egyptian art. He wears a silk satin chaquetilla overloaded with embroidery and ornamentation, and a hat originally made of beaver felt, hence the name castoreño. The voluptuous, round figure is typical of Botero's aesthetic, even if it is inspired by pre-Columbian art. The picador stands out against an almost uniform green background. In fact, the painter gives depth to his painting through drawing and color. The palette is composed of white, pink, red, gray, black, green, ochre and brown. Botero is a painter concerned with the organization of space, the serenity of form and the harmony of color. His admiration for Italian Renaissance painting is well known, particularly that of Piero della Francesca. Botero brings his own style to the theme of bullfighting. He "asserts his artistic non-conformism through a traditionally conformist theme and has propelled this historical genre towards modernity".