Colombian artist Fernando Botero with his painting ‘After Velazquez’ at the Pera Museum in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 3, 2010.
Credit: © Prometheus72/Shutterstock

Copy the Mona Lisa, but make her twelve years old and comically disproportionate! Political, original, and always interesting, Colombian artist Fernando Botero’s pieces captured attention around the world. Botero died on Friday, September 15th, 2023, at the age of 91. Botero was known for his paintings and sculptures. Round figures with comparatively small faces define his work. Botero featured satirical portrayals of powerful subjects. Satire is the use of wit to attack human conduct or institutions. Satire is used in literature and art to expose and even reform such human failings as folly, greed, or vanity. His style, known as Boterismo, shows figures of exaggerated volume with bright colors. Botero painted and sculpted animals, people, and still-life scenes of food. Still-life paintings are close-ups of objects.

‘Horse Man’ sculpture by Colombian artist Fernando Botero in Botero Square in Medellín, Colombia.
Credit: © Oscar Espinosa, Shutterstock

Botero was born in Medellín, Colombia, on April 19, 1932. His father died when he was four years old. Botero began drawing and painting in watercolors at a young age. An uncle enrolled him in a training school for bullfighting when he was 12 years old. A man who sold tickets to bullfighting began selling Botero’s drawings and paintings. At the age of 16, Botero’s first illustrations were published in El Colombiano, a newspaper in Medellín. When Botero was 20 years old, he won second prize at Bogotá’s Salón Nacional de Artistas exhibition. He then traveled to Europe to study art.

Botero studied the paintings of the Old Masters of European art in Madrid, Spain; Paris, France; and Florence, Italy. After he returned to Colombia, he entered the Biblioteca Nacional exhibition in 1955, where his art was not well received. Botero moved to Mexico City in 1956. In 1960, he won the Colombian section of the Guggenheim international exhibition. That same year, he moved to New York City. In 1961, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City bought his painting Mona Lisa, Age 12, a tribute to the Old Masters.

In 1973, Botero moved to Paris, France. While in Paris, he began sculpting figures from his paintings. Museums and galleries around the world featured Botero’s work as his popularity grew. Botero’s bronze sculptures are displayed in public spaces in Colombia, France, Israel, Spain, and the United States. Botero addressed the subject of the Colombian drug cartel in Masacre de Mejor Esquina (1997) and Death of Pablo Escobar (1999). He addressed the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American personnel in Abu Ghraib prison in a collection called Abu Ghraib (2005).

August 7, 2015

Thursday, August 6, marked the last time Jon Stewart appeared on cable television network Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” where he had wielded comedy and satire as weapons for skewering politicians and media figures for 16 years. Stewart took over “The Daily Show” from its former host, Craig Kilborn, in 1999. Under Stewart’s tenure, the show became a surprisingly well-trusted source of news and commentary. Despite Stewart’s tendency toward silliness and vulgarity, many journalists admired his ability to effectively explain complex news events. Stewart often expressed genuine anger at perceived injustices and dishonesty, which many viewers found an appealing change of pace from bland news reports and political performances.

Jon Stewart hosted his final “Daily Show” on Comedy Central on Aug. 6, 2015, after 16 years. © Getty Images

News reporters and politicians were typically the targets of Stewart’s attacks. A liberal, Stewart directed much of his mockery to Republican politicians and the conservative Fox News network. But he also attacked less partisan figures and institutions. The banking and health care industries were frequent targets of Stewart’s criticism, and he often accused more liberal news networks of timidly shirking their journalistic responsibilities.

Stewart also used his show as a platform for activism. For example, analysts have credited “The Daily Show” for pressuring Congress to pass a 2010 bill providing federally funded health care for firefighters, police officers, and other first responders who worked during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. However, Stewart himself often acknowledged that his show failed to influence events, and occasionally mocked those who he thought overstated his influence.

Stewart’s tenure on “The Daily Show” was also notable for its colorful cast of correspondents. They included such comedians as Stephen Colbert, Larry Wilmore, and John Oliver—all of whom went on to host their own satirical news shows.

On the final episode, Stewart gave a characteristically vulgarity-laced monologue, urging his audience to resist society’s peddlers of phoniness. Stewart then received farewells—often sarcastic ones—by a crowd of his friends and, in some cases, his rivals, including Fox News personality Bill O’Reilly and Republican Congressman John McCain. Stephen Colbert veered away from his Lord of the Rings-themed scripted remarks to gave a heartfelt send-off, thanking Stewart for setting an inspiring example. The South African comedian Trevor Noah will take over as host of “The Daily Show,” on September 28.

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• Television (2010) – A Back in Time article
• Motion Pictures (2014) – A Back in Time article