BOTERO – born in Medellin
art instead of violence and drugs

A feature-lenght documentary film on the life and works of Fernando Botero by Peter Schamoni

To celebrate the artist's 75th birthday Peter Schamoni use state-of-the-art film techniques in telling authentically the stirring success story of an artist who grew up in strainened circumstances in a remote town in the Andes: "The Man from Medellin", who conquered the European art world and became celebrated star on the global art scene. His works have been exhibited in over 70 one-man shows in museums throughout the world, from Tokyo to Stockholm and Washington all the way to Caracas. His monumental scluptures have thrilled observers on every continent, for example at large-scale presentations on the Champs-Elysées in Paris 1992, on Park Avenue in New York in 1993 and 2007 in the center of Berlin. Over the past few years no artist has enjoyed such a wide-spread response.

Botero gifted to three museums in his homeland Colombia not only over 200 of his own paintings and his entire sculptural oeuvre - but also his meaningful collection of modern European art: masterworks from impressionism all the way to the latest present day works - "Treasures" - the originals of which have never been seen before in Colombia.

In 2005, we can safely speak of a new beginning in the work of the artist, who threw himself with fury and verve into a new subject matter - the torture and horror in the Iraqi prison in Abu Ghraib. This new work cycle was not intended for the walls of the private art dealers, but rather for the general public on a museum tour.

The film brings Botero's Abu Ghraub images and their significance within the context of his entire body of work into consciousness of a large audience.