Colombian artist Botero was buried in his adopted city in Italian Tuscany

The Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero, one of the most important Latin American artists of the 20th century, was buried today in Pietrasanta, the city in the Italian region of Tuscany where he lived for decades with his wife, who died in May.

Died on September 15 in Monaco from pneumonia at the age of 91, the Colombian artist had asked to be buried in the small town of Pietrasanta, about 30 km from Pisa (northern Italy), known as “little Athens” for its marble quarries, foundries and sculptors, reported the AFP news agency.

His remains had first been transferred to Colombia, so that his compatriots could pay him a last tribute, especially in the capital, Bogotá, and in Medellín, his hometown.

He is the author of some 300 sculptures and 3,000 paintings marked by his recognizable style of voluminous and robust figures.

In this city you can see some of his paintings, such as “The Gate of Paradise” and “The Gate of Hell” in the Church of Mercy, where his ashes were exposed from Thursday until his funeral this Saturday.

The artist’s ashes were transferred from the church to the Cathedral of San Martín de Pietrasanta for the funeral in a procession accompanied by a local orchestra.

During the ceremony, there were speeches from the town’s mayor, the Colombian ambassador to Italy, Ligia Margarita Quessep Bitar, and some of her friends, as well as her daughter, Lina Botero.

“We granted him honorary citizenship as a sign of gratitude, because he really deserved it,” Mayor Alberto Giovannnetti told AFP before the ceremony. “He always loved Pietrasanta and Pietrasanta also knew how to receive him and open his doors to him,” he added.

The artist’s ashes were placed in front of the cathedral altar, among white flowers and next to a large portrait of Botero.

His three children, Fernando Botero Zea, Lina Botero and Juan Carlos Botero, sat in the front row.

“This country was always very important to my father (…) We are very happy that he chose Pietrasanta as his place of eternal rest,” Lina Botero told AFPTV. “He worked here for more than 40 years, he made his sculptures here thanks to the work of the foundries, the marble workshops with which he worked as well as the artisans, whose talent he admired and respected,” he added. she.

After the ceremony, Botero’s ashes were buried in the area of ​​the cemetery reserved for the illustrious citizens of Pietrasanta.

Botero’s works became popular around the world, and can be seen in museums and public spaces in cities such as Bogotá, Madrid, Paris, Barcelona, ​​Singapore and Venice.

The artist assured that exhibitions in public spaces are a “revolutionary way” of bringing art closer to the public.

Some of his pieces were auctioned for sums of up to $4.3 million.