ARTIKA Presents Vía Crucis, The New Artist Book on Fernando Botero that Reveals Maestro's Homage to Colombia and His Beginnings

    MIAMI, FL, September 21, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- On Wednesday, September 21, 2022, (Miami, FL) ARTIKA will publish a new book by the Colombian Artist Fernando Botero and his Via Crucis series. Vía Crucis, is a key piece of work on the trajectory of the artist, known for the globally recognized and admired style of "Boterismo". It took 4 years to create this collection, and they only produced 2,998 books. Most don't realize that only 200 are signed by the artist and these unique books can only be reserved online. It's a personalized buying process with a concierge service.

"We are excited to work for a second time with the Maestro Fernando Botero on Via Crucis, a homage to Colombia and his beginnings. In Artika we are proud to have been editing art for over 20 years, creating pieces that are a conjunction between art and an artist book, a new category thought for collectors and art enthusiasts'' - Marc Buil, Global Director, ARTIKA | Artists Books

In 2012, Fernando Botero donated his Vía Crucis series to the Antioquia Museum in Medellin. In celebration of his 90th birthday, now that masterpiece morphs into an artistic tome that pays homage to the people of Colombia – a book that connects art history to the master's memory, created by publishing house ARTIKA BOOKS.

The issue at hand is a limited, numbered edition of Vía Crucis, a key piece of work on the trajectory of Fernando Botero, which includes the full series of drawings and paintings in which the Maestro expresses his personal interpretation of the Christian Way of the Cross, the scenes that evoque the path Jesus took from his capture up to crucifixion, which has inspired countless works of art over the centuries. In its own way, Botero's contribution offers a completely original take on this classic iconography. Vía Crucis is also proof of Colombian roots always being present in the work of this Maestro. During his childhood, Botero would observe the paintings and sculptures exhibited in churches, and this initial contact with art left a mark in his creative personality. The commitment to his country is manifest in his donation of Vía Crucis in 2012, as a gesture that yields ownership to the Antioquia Museum of the rights to the work, also valid for this edition.

The Art Book: a personal language for a universal topic
This bilingual edition in Spanish and English includes all the works that conform the Vía Crucis series. The illustrations, adhered to the Art Book with three dots of glue, are reproductions of the highest quality of the original drawings made in pencil and watercolor on paper. The cover of this volume is an unpublished image printed on canvas: a silhouetted detail of the oil painting Cerca de la Cruz (Close to the Cross, 2010), from the artist's personal collection.

Every print is accompanied by a quote from the Bible, printed on red translucent film. The images depict the Passion of the Christ through different classic scenes that the Maestro explores and reinterprets in his unique style, known as boterismo.

The result is a compelling scenery that reveals, for example, Jesus carrying the cross through the streets of a Colombian town or a 20th century soldier standing among the centurions and roman soldiers that surround the Christ.

Study Book: the keys to Botero's work
All elements of Vía Crucis are analyzed in detail in the articles collected in the Study Book, whose authors are some of the most recognized voices in the study of the works of the Maestro. American critic David Ebony and Camilo Castaño, curator for the Antioquia Museum, review the qualities that make boterismo a recognizable and admired style worldwide.

Vía Crucis will be made available at artikabooks.com. This being an artist book in which every detail is accounted for, and whose confection includes Maestro Botero himself, a limited number of units will be launched in this edition, reaffirming its distinctive character. It comprehends the aesthetic attributes of an unparalleled work of art and the character of an eminent source of knowledge about an essential moment in the broad trajectory of this notable Colombian artist.

About ARTIKA
Founded in 2003, ARTIKA is a publishing house belonging to Grupo Planeta and specializes in devising artist books – limited editions whose cornerstones are the work of outstanding international creatives the likes of Gaudí, Lita Cabellut, Jaume Plensa, Fernando Botero, Toulouse Lautrec, Joaquín Sorolla, Joaquín Sabina, and Frida Kahlo. Their books are crafted using meticulous artisanal processes that make every unit unique and unrepeatable. The ARTIKA catalog currently offers a collection of contemporary works that invite the reader to uncover the essence of each artist, where design and innovation are front and center, from the very concept down to the materials employed.

About Fernando Botero
Fernando Botero is a Colombian figurative artist and sculptor born in Medellín. His signature style, also known as "Boterismo," depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political criticism or humor, depending on the piece. Several major museums have purchased his works for their permanent collections, and his paintings and sculptures have been displayed in Colombia, New York, Miami, Venice, Zurich, and more. Critics have praised Botero's art, which warmly and whimsically depicts the life of peasants and aristocrats, clowns, dancers in motion, families, and children at play.

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To see ARTIKA's works, you can visit our website at https://artikabooks.com or get in touch with us at [email protected].

Press contact:
Another Company
Deborah Hartmann
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