Museo Botero
Colonial house in La Candelaria holding Fernando Botero's donated works and his international collection.
The Museo Botero opened in 2000 after the Colombian artist Fernando Botero donated a large body of work to the Banco de la República. The gift comprised some 208 pieces: about 123 of his own paintings, drawings and sculptures, together with 85 works from the international collection he had assembled privately. Botero set the terms of the display himself, selecting the hang with curatorial advice and stipulating that donated works should not be lent or moved once installed, so the arrangement has remained largely unchanged.
The museum occupies a colonial house in the La Candelaria district that served as the office of the Archbishop of Bogotá until 1955, after which the Banco de la República used it for cultural activities before its conversion into galleries. Rooms open off two planted courtyards. The building forms part of the bank's Manzana Cultural, a city block that also contains the Miguel Urrutia Art Museum, the Casa de Moneda, the Luis Ángel Arango Library and concert hall, and, a short walk away, the Museo del Oro.
Highlights
- Around 123 works by Fernando Botero, donated by the artist in 2000
- International collection with Monet, Renoir, Degas, Picasso, Miró and Giacometti
- Botero's own hang, fixed by the terms of his donation
- Colonial house with two courtyards, former archbishop's offices
