Fernando Botero Angulo (born April 19, 1932) is a Colombian figurative artist, self-titled "the most Colombian of Colombian artists" early on. He came to national prominence when he won the first prize at the Salón de Artistas Colombianos in 1958. Working most of the year in Paris, in the last three decades he has achieved international recognition for his paintings, drawings and sculpture, with exhibitions across the world.[1] His art is collected by major museums, corporations and private collectors. In 2005, his series of drawings and paintings entitled Abu Ghraib, which was exhibited first in Europe, expressed his outrage at abuses during the Iraq War and concentrated on the dignity of the victims. The exhibit was featured at two United States venues in 2007. Early life and education Fernando Botero was born the second of three children in MedellÃn, Antioquia, in the mountains of Colombia. His parents were David Botero and Flora Angulo. A salesman who traveled by horse! back, his father died when the boy was age four, and his mother worked as a seamstress. An uncle took a major role in his life. Although isolated from art as presented in museums and other cultural institutes, Botero was influenced by the Baroque style of the colonial churches and the rich life of the city.[2] In 1944, after Botero attended a Jesuit school, Botero's uncle sent him to a school for matadors for two years.[3] In 1948, at the age of 16, Botero published his first illustrations in the Sunday
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