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Larger than life: Satirical scenes by Colombian artist Fernando Botero

Fernando Botero is quite simply Latin America's best-known living artist. The 85-year-old Colombian's paintings, drawings, and bronze and marble sculptures are all instantly recognisable.

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Two rotund figures sit at a pink-clothed table laden with fruit, bowls and a wine bottle, rendered in Botero's characteristic exaggerated style against a blue wall

Dominated by exaggerated, corpulent figures, his work contains many satirical references to Colombian culture. But it also has a universal appeal, being focused on characters and situtations, both public and private, that people everywhere on Earth can recognise.

Botero's work is now going on show in a major exhibition in Istanbul, Turkey. Curated by Dr Klaus Wolbert, the former director of Mathildenhöhe Institute in Germany, the selection reflects Botero’s artistic exploration of the human experience, imbued with his characteristic socio-political insight and ironic wit.

Entitled Everyday’s Poetry – Scenes from the Fullness of Life, the show will be held across three floors of exhibition space in Karaköy, Bankalar Street and will be on display at Anna Laudel Contemporary in Istanbul from 27 April to 25 June.

Two rotund figures in suits play guitars against a vibrant coral and pink interior, painted in Fernando Botero's characteristic exaggerated style
A rotund man wearing a cowboy hat, orange jacket and yellow striped shirt stands with a woman in a blue dress positioned behind his shoulder, both with exaggerated facial features rendered in Fernando Botero's characteristic style
Portly hunter in yellow shirt and red trousers carrying a rifle over his shoulder, accompanied by a small white dog, standing in a green forest
Rotund man in formal attire seated in a red chair, holding a colourful parrot on his raised hand, against a dark background with green curtain
Portrait of a woman with olive-toned skin wearing a colourful striped dress, green earrings and a feathered headdress against a dark background, painted in Fernando Botero's characteristic exaggerated style
Young girl in a coral dress holding a yellow cat, wearing a green hair bow and pink earrings, painted in Fernando Botero's characteristic exaggerated style
Seated woman with exaggerated proportions wearing a pink necklace and bracelet against a vibrant pink and green interior, characteristic of Fernando Botero's satirical figurative style
A woman with exaggerated proportions stands in a bright yellow bedroom wearing a pearl necklace and holding a red cloth, in Fernando Botero's characteristic satirical style
A woman with dark hair and pearl earrings wears a lime green dress and red wrap, holding a red clutch purse against a bright green background with shamrock pattern.
Black bronze sculpture by Fernando Botero depicting a seated, voluptuous female figure on a dark rectangular plinth against a grey background
Glossy black bronze sculpture of a reclining figure with exaggerated, voluptuous proportions and a bird perched on their back, set on a rectangular base
Black polished bronze sculpture by Fernando Botero of a reclining rotund figure on a rectangular plinth against a teal background
White marble sculpture of a reclining figure with exaggerated, rounded proportions characteristic of Fernando Botero's style
Black polished bronze sculpture of a seated female figure with exaggerated proportions by Fernando Botero, mounted on a rectangular base against a grey background
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