And finally, Botero Museum in Bogota, a happy outcome is worth waiting for!

Last November we had the chance to visit the Botero Museum in Bogota and it won´t be a minor pleasure to share the experience with you through pictures of the beautiful “patio”, inner yard and some of the works -paintings and sculptures- permanently exhibited in this welcoming House Museum located in the district of La Candelaria, historic and cultural downtown of Bogota (Colombia), where it is possible to enjoy 123 works of the Colombian universal artist and 87 works belonging to his private collection of masters like Monet, Picasso, Dalí, Miró, Pissarro, Renoir, Matisse, Degas, Chagall, Tapies or Barceló.

The Museum is placed in the building of the ancient Newspaper Archive Luis López de Mesa, later known as Casa de Exposiciones (House of Exhibitions) and finally as venue of the Botero Museum.

In mid 90s, Fernando Botero proposed a donation of his art private collection to the Museum of Antioquía in Medellín, but the slow decision making process by the local authorities took him to accept the offer of Bogota´s City Council to donate his collection to the capital. The mayor at that moment, Enrique Peñalosa, thought about the construction of a new museum to host it but Botero prefered to donate the collection – valorated in more than 200 million USD -to the Bank of the Republic of Colombia in Bogota, institution with wide experience in the development of cultural activities and which Library “Luis Ángel Arango” had showcased Botero´s series “La Corrida” years before.

Thereby, it was in 2000 when the collection landed in Colombia after an exhibition at the Foundation Santander Central Hispano in Madrid (Spain). After such great present to the city of Bogota, the artist would contribute with a meaningful group of works to the Museum of Antioquía in Medellín, as well as a set of sculptures for the Botero Park (situated in front of the museum).