Fernando Botero (b. 1932)

Marlborough Gallery, New York
Galería El Museo, Santa Fe de Bogotá
Private Collection, Madrid
Sale: Christie's, New York, Latin American Sale, May 29, 2002, lot 30, illustrated in color

New York, Marlborough Gallery, Botero: La Corrida, The Bullfight Paintings, April 25-May 25, 1985, no. 13, p. 29, illustrated in color
Munich, Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung, July 4-September 7, 1986; Bremen, Kunsthalle, January 11-March 1, 1987; Frankfurt, Schirn Kunstalle, March 12-May 10, 1987; Madrid, Museo Reina Sofía, June-August, 1987, Fernando Botero: Bilder, Zeichnungen, Skulpturen, no. 44, p. 102, illustrated in color

Giorgio Soavi, Botero, Milan, 1988, no. 242, p. 251, illustrated in color 
José Manuel Caballero, Botero: The Bullfight, New York, 1989, pp. 114-115, illustrated in color
Giorgio Soavi, Fernando Botero Oeuvre  1959-1989, Paris, 1990, no. 99, illustrated in color 
Jean Cau, Fernando Botero, La Corrida, 1990, no. LXVI, p. 121, illustrated in color 
Gérard Durozoi, Botero, Paris, 1992, n.n., p. 40, illustrated in color 
Edward Sullivan and J. Tasset, Botero: Monograph & Catalogue Raisonné, Paintings 1975-1990, Lausanne, 2000, no. 1984/31, p. 361, illustrated

The surface of the canvas is slightly soiled along the edges and presents two minor scuffs located in the lower right quadrant. Ultraviolet light examination revealed no sign of inpainting or repair. Otherwise in very good condition.
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.

"Prior to Botero, Goya (in La Tauromaquia) and Picasso had already treated the theme of bullfighting in mythical terms--such formidable forerunners as to discourage, in principle, any successive attempts to address this subject, whose origins date back to pre-Hellenic times, on canvas. Botero, however, resurrected the theme in an entirely novel manner. He transfigured the tauromachy using the same stylistic devices which he head earlier applied to the representation of the female nude, dead bishops, or the president's family. It appears as though he decomposes the elements of a real-life scene and rearranges them in a world governed by the order of disproportion. The result, paradoxically, is an equally truthful picture of life." 

Jose Manuel Caballero Bonald, Botero, The Bullfight, New York, 1989, p. 26