Botero

No wonder it is cold here, I knew Bogotá was at a high altitude but I just checked. It is 2640m above sea level. That is higher than many of the ski slopes in the Pyrenees. It's really warm when the sun is out but today it is grey and cloudy with rain. Rather like the UK in November. Tomorrow I descend to the balmy warmth of Pereria!
Anyway.. back to my blog.
Last year when I was in Medellin, I ran out of time and missed going to the museum there and seeing the paintings of Francisco Botero, a native of Medellin. Instead, I stayed for a while in the plaza where there are several sculptures of his. But I needn't have worried, there is a museum dedicated to his art here in Bogotá. When I was here a week ago, again I ran out of time but yesterday (Wednesday) I had loads of time.
Firstly I revisited the Museo de Oro.

Coca was used by chieftains and shamans in pre-hispanic Colombia

Death masks

After leaving the Museo de Oro, I went back to view the museum in Banco de la Republica showing the history of money in Colombia up to the present day. Next door is the Botero Museum.
The man and woman are Adam and Eve but I was a little shocked by the weird eroticism of the sculpture Leda y el Cisne, partly because it seemed totally out of character with all his other work. It refers to the Greek myth where Zeus descends from Olimpia as a swan to make love to Leda. Dalí painted Leda Atómica with the same theme, using Gala his wife as the model. The sculptures are in the most beautifully finished bronze.

 

I have show this again from my first visit