Lot 566
  • 566

FERNANDO BOTERO | White Pierrot

Estimate
350,000 - 450,000 USD
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Description

  • Fernando Botero
  • White Pierrot
  • signed and dated 08 
  • oil on canvas
  • 53 5/8 by 39 1/2 in. 136.2 by 100.3 cm.

Provenance

Thomas Gibson Fine Art Limited, London
Acquired from the above by the present owner in June 2009

Condition

This work is in very good condition overall. The canvas is unlined and well-stretched. The colors are vibrant, and the media layer is stable. Two pinpoint spots of media loss are present at the extreme lower left edge of the canvas. Under ultraviolet light inspection, a faint four-inch vertical surface scratch becomes apparent just below the right elbow of the figure; no evidence of inpainting becomes apparent.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Colombian-Born artist Fernando Botero came of age in Medellín, where he lived until he moved to Bogotá in 1951 at the age of 19. His first encounter with art was through the baroque colonial art that decorated the interiors and exteriors of churches and chapels, as Medellín did not have a museum in those days. Although Bogotá offered him some exposure to modern art, he was drawn to Europe in 1952, where he spent several years studying in Spain and Italy. His experiences studying Velásquez and Goya in Madrid and later studying Ucello, Masaccio and Caravaggio in Florence were crucial for his development as a young artist. Throughout his career, Botero continued to travel between New York, Europe and Colombia, and his work is held in over 50 important museum collections around the world. Botero frequently draws inspiration from the places and experiences he has lived while also working in dialogue with the masters of Western art history. His oeuvre ranges from street scenes to brothels to pastiches of masterpieces by titans of the Western canon. It is rather fitting then that the mature artist has chosen to revert to a theme that has ignited the imaginations of artists throughout the ages: Georges Seurat, Edouard Manet, Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, Alexander Calder, and Botero’s childhood hero, Pablo Picasso, to name a few.

A chance encounter with a traveling circus in Mexico in 2006 became a source of inspiration for his most recent body of circus works. Enraptured by the blend of make believe, absurdity and endless possibility, Botero capture the quotidian and extraordinary details of this spectacle. In White Pierrot, a lone circus performer stands center stage preparing to break out in song, clad in a white costume and painted face, starkly contrasted by his pink tights and yellow guitar. The curtain behind him is slightly pulled back, showing a glimpse of the audience behind him. This work exemplifies the artist’s meticulous attention to color and detail, allowing the viewer to be drawn into the wonder and whimsy of the circus.

Pierrot, a central character in the Italian improvised theater tradition of commedia dell’Arte typified by his hardworking, trustworthy and honest qualities and devotion to his master, is rendered masterfully in André Derain’s Harlequin and Pierrot and bears important similarities to Botero’s Pierrot. Both Pierrots are portrayed in the iconic tasseled white costume of the character, jauntily dancing with instruments held aloft. Botero employs his signature volumetric style to enhance the satirical mood of the composition, imbuing his Pierrot with an air of levity.