Fernando Botero, Colombian painter and sculptor known for his exaggerated shapes, dies aged 91

Bogotá, Colombia—— Fernando Botero, the renowned Colombian painter and sculptor whose rich, exaggerated depictions of figures and objects became an icon of Colombian art around the world, has died. He is 91 years old.

Lina Botero told Colombian radio station Caracol that her father died of complications from pneumonia on Friday morning in Monaco.

Botero depicts politicians, animals, saints and scenes from his childhood in an exaggerated and colorful form that is instantly recognizable. Despite his humble beginnings, the artist achieved global fame and influence during his lifetime, with his paintings exhibited around the world and his majestic bronze sculptures found in the parks and avenues of many European and Latin American capitals.

“His success was truly tremendous,” Botero’s son Juan Carlos wrote in a biography of his father published in 2010. “Fernando Botero has created a unique style that is original and easily identifiable.”

Botero was born on April 19, 1932 in Medellin, Colombia. As a child, he was sent to a bullfighting school by his uncle, which he soon left, but it was a world he would later capture in his paintings.