'BOTERO IN HONG KONG' Monumental Sculptures Exhibition at the Central Harbourfront,
03 Jun 2016 - 14 Aug 2016
Master Botero's monumental sculptures exhibition at Shanghai's China Art Museum was so successful and so acclaimed that the late art collector and philanthropist George Wong decided he wanted to take these pieces to Hong Kong. After presenting his idea to the Hong Kong government, Botero in China was invited to produce one more exhibition in the most prestigious and sought-after space in Hong Kong Island: the Central Harbourfront.
The show consisted of the nine monumental pieces that had already welcomed visitors in Shanghai's main museum: the Woman with Cigarette, the Sphinx, the Reclining Woman, the Female Torso, the Seated Woman, the Rape of Europe, the Dressed Woman, the Cat and the Lying Woman. Botero's feminine figures were placed in the harbour shortly before the opening, on June the 3rd of 2016, and they remained there, accompanying Hong Kongese residents, until August the 14th 2016. Thus, the sculptures became the exceptional guests to the picnics, children's games and yoga sessions that regularly take place in that beautiful park.
In this occasion, Master Botero was unable to attend the exhibition, but his son Fernando, the founder of Botero in China, and his daughter Lina, who curated the exhibition, were there. Together they hosted a conference, alongside Botero in China's director, Juan Montana, at Hong Kong University, whereby they discussed the Colombian artist's life and work. The university became so involved in Botero's work that afterwards they reached an agreement with Hong Kong's Tourism Board, where by they organized daily tours of the exhibition given by art students who were already familiar with Master Botero's unique style and aesthetic ideas.
Botero in China's Hong Kong exhibition was an absolute success, as hundreds of thousands of people went to the Central Harbourfront to observe and caress Master Botero's monumental sculptures. A short catalogue was produced to commemorate the occasion and preserve the amazing images of Botero's bronze women flanked by Hong Kong's famous skyline.