Provenance
Marlborough Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Catalogue Essay
The present lot by world-renowned artist Fernando Botero depicts a reclining nude carved from white Carrara marble, achieving a silky smooth surface that compels a physical response from the viewer. The sensual, yet reposed subject features the grandiose proportions for which Botero has become legendary, recalling the Latin American-rooted tradition that associates abundance with beauty.

Through employing marble in the creation of his Rubanesque figures, Botero continues in the traditions of Renaissance masters such as Michelangelo and Donatello. Reclining Nude is particularly alluring due to her somewhat ambiguous position. The viewer is left to determine her state of mind, contemplating if she is simply resting, awaiting an absent lover, or lost in deep personal thought.
Artist Biography
Fernando Botero
Colombian • 1932
Colombian artist Fernando Botero is known for his voluptuous and exaggerated paintings, sculptures and drawings. He studied under Roberto Longhi, a renowned authority on Italian Renaissance and Baroque art, obtaining a remarkable art historical knowledge of Western Classicism. This dialogue between an erudite education and religious art for the masses is the key in the development of his aesthetic.
Botero was also influenced by Mexican muralism, with which he became acquainted while living in Mexico City. The monumental scale of the human forms in the murals gave rise to the voluminous figures for which he is best known. Botero's works make mordant comments on society's shortcomings; they also incorporate classical elements and are imbued with political satire and caricature.
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Property from a Prominent Private American Collection

39

Fernando Botero

Reclining Nude

signed "Botero" on the lower edge
white marble
7 x 21 1/2 x 8 1/2 in. (17.8 x 54.6 x 21.6 cm)
Executed in 2006, this work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist.

Estimate
$200,000 - 300,000

Sold for $281,250

Contact Specialist
Kaeli Deane
Head of Department, Americas
New York
+1 212 940 1352

Latin America

New York Auction 21 November 2017