Donna Seduta by Fernando Botero. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Nine bronze sculptures by Colombian artist Fernando Botero stand on the square in front of the China Art Museum Shanghai, in their debut exhibition in China.

One of the most important Latin artists of the time, Botero recently had a successful exhibition in Beijing, at National Museum of China, which concluded on Jan 2. The Shanghai leg of his first China tour opened on Jan 21 and continues through May 8.

Besides the 96 paintings on show in Beijing, and the nine sculptures presented outdoors, the Shanghai show also includes three new paintings as well as 30 sketches, presenting a panoramic show of the artist's career.

Botero, 83, is famous for his signature style known as "Boterismo", which depicts human and other subjects in exaggerated large volume. His women with big round bodies and chubby limbs are widely printed and published.

He has created a magnificent world of the fat, in which contained "graceful satire of the reality", says Li Lei, deputy director of China Art Museum Shanghai.

Botero started to work on sculptures in the 1960s, and his paintings are often narrative. The sculptures better reflected his artistic ideas and the volume, which is the key part of "Boterismo", Li says.

The exhibition marks the beginning of the year of Latin culture in China, when a series of master artists from the region will be showcased in China, according to Yin Peng, a

If you go

Botero in China

Tue-Sun, 10 am-6 pm, through May 8

Exhibition Hall No.17, China Art Museum Shanghai, 205 Shangnan Road, Pudong, Shanghai.

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