The value of a legacy
With more than sixty works, this series of oil paintings and drawings painted by Master Fernando Botero in 2011 and donated to the Museum of Antioquia in 2012, is now an ambassador of our artistic and cultural heritage. A reason for pride, and also a responsibility that we assume as the greatest honor.
By: María del Rosario Escobar P – Director of the Museum of Antioquia
It is not the first time that Fernando Botero’s Via Crucis leaves the country to be exhibited in a museum or international room, but it is a historic moment since this opening occurs after the death of the Master on September 15, 2023. And the difference is noticeable. There is a mystery in death that comes to us when a loved one no longer occupies a vital place on this planet, what we call legacy, transcendence, or inheritance. In the case of art, this transformation is notorious: the market manifests itself, so do scholars, and of course museums and galleries. A new relationship is consolidated with the artist and his work, since everything has already been sealed by the idea of posterity. This way of understanding time and what it consolidates gives any movement, word or action an air of pilgrimage. We felt that in Medellín, we experienced that again in Milan.
In Italy they love Maestro Botero very much. They feel that in some way he is also Italian having chosen Pietrasanta as the land where he will rest eternally. So, this country is the first to express itself in relation to the tributes that can be made through the Museum of Antioquia. We already know about these twinnings between cities due to the death of great artists in their lands, and the way in which the cycle of birth and death creates bridges and vital connections between nations. Tango and Gardel are an example; Botero and Italian painting, another.
Planning an exhibition of this type is not an easy task. It is also not common in the management of our institutions. Museums with large collections usually exchange and loan works among themselves; countries contribute to this as a state policy since art is also an ambassador and chancellor. Botero knew this very well, and when he donated the Viacrucis series in 2012 he did so with the aim that the Museum of Antioquia would also have a way to participate in this modality of communication and exchange that art grants us. So for us it is a great school and a stellar way to contribute to the internationalization of our work and national heritage.
The process begins with a mutual assessment of the two museums, both ours and the one that receives. The entity that will host the Series must demonstrate maximum professionalism in its conditions of care and maintenance of the works, as well as in mediations to the public, the security of the facilities, and the ability to assume all-risk insurance that is regulatory for the departure from the country of a treasure that is part of Colombian heritage. Once these essential parts are consolidated to begin the other conversations, more than a month may have passed, since everything must be validated with official documentation that is typical of the international museum field.
The following details are not minor either. The Museum of Antioquia requires the signing of a contract in which the complex and also the simple are formalized. In this type of project, nothing can be overlooked because it is about taking care of what has no replacement and the works, in their fragility, must travel by airplanes, forklifts, and all types of treatment that forces them to share flights with all types of materials. Also, it is essential to ensure that the behavior of the authorities of the different customs corresponds to the art, therefore, the Colombian government accompanies us in this part, as well as specialized companies. The transit of the crates and their cargo takes a considerable amount of time and that is why we are involved in both experts in the transportation of art cargo, as well as the Foreign Ministry, and the co-responsible entities in both countries. For the good of all, the prestige of Master Botero is growing and when you know that you have his valuable work in your hands, care is extreme.
Once everything has been arranged at the exhibition venue, the assembly process is standard everywhere. Regardless of the language, we speak the universal language of art and conservation. Multiple interdisciplinary teams come together, diverse trades work under a single objective and for those of us who love these moments, the joy of putting together exhibitions unfolds as if it were a dance. In the case of Milan, it was done in record time, and all of this was achieved thanks to the prior preparation that we all did together, thanks to the remote work learning that humanity experienced during the pandemic. The truth is that after 2019 and 2020 many things have changed, and in this sense, remote work platforms are very useful.
I want to highlight the response of the press and the general public. It was very moving to receive from so many people, and all so diverse, a message of communion with the work of the Master and with our country. The Viacrucis Series tells us about the martyrdoms that men and women of all conditions experience and have experienced for centuries: violent death, grief, betrayal, indifference, loneliness, incomprehension, all types of abuse. Botero, through the representation of Jesus subjected to all punishments, places us in the contemporary cities and towns of the world. A huge Christ in New York’s Central Park does not seem to move anyone; A pained Maria carries her dead son and becomes her child again despite being a grown man. This and other images follow one another and we think about our own vicissitudes, and in the midst of everything, and meanwhile, art becomes present with its powers of connection, communication and permanence. We should feel a lot of pride and ownership of Botero’s legacy. That is our heritage, our duty and its message of pride and worth to all.
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