Botero Donates Abu Ghraib Art To UC Berkeley

[unhappycamper]

Botero Donates Abu Ghraib Art To UC Berkeley
BY Jane Shin
Contributing Writer
Wednesday, August 29, 2007


Colombian artist Fernando Botero is set to donate a collection of his graphic images of Abu Ghraib prison detainees, valued at $50 million, to UC Berkeley after an exhibit of the controversial images on campus earlier this year.

The 47 paintings and drawings depict explicit images of naked, contorted bodies being attacked by dogs and brutally beaten prisoners being hanged, said Harley Shaiken, director for the Center for Latin American Studies, which hosted the exhibit at Doe Library last spring.

They represent Botero’s reactions to reports of United States Army soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq in 2004.

The collection attracted over 15,000 visitors between January and March this year, Shaiken said.

“There is a gentleman’s agreement between the chancellor and Mr. Botero, and my sense is there is enormous good will on both sides,” Shaiken said. “It really is a feather in Berkeley’s cap, that of all the possible places that were asking for this, he chose us.”

While the campus has already agreed to accept the artwork, the details of where it will be housed and how the images will be displayed have yet to be finalized, Shaiken said.


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uhc comment: Here's some of his Abu Gharib art.

http://zonaeuropa.com/20050413_2.htm

http://www.art-for-a-change.com/blog/2005/04/fernando-botero-paints-abu-ghraib.html

http://www.marlboroughgallery.com/artists/botero/artwork.html

http://www.revistadiners.com.co/noticia.php3?nt=24663

And here's a pretty good interview with Botero -> http://www.rwor.org/a/078/botero-en.html

[unhappycamper]

1. A final kick.

Have a great day folks - I'm headed to the beach.

[leftchick]

2. that is fantastic!

I love his work. I only wish I lived closer to see it in person.

[TalkingDog]

3. Thank you. E-mailing it out RIGHT NOW!!!

This Administration did it's homework on the power of the image. No TV coverage of combat areas, no caskets, no grieving families.

This is an amazing opportunity to reach the public with the horrors these people have inflicted on the world.

Thanks for posting this.


My Favorite Master Artist: Karen Parker GhostWoman Studios

[smoogatz]

4. Next at Berkeley: Thomas Kinkade's "Extraordinary Rendition" series,

which depicts the CIA-led torture of suspected al Qaeda operatives in fanciful, fairy-tale settings.

Oy.

[Zookeeper]

5. That's generous of the artist, however....

I've never liked his work, as I find it really gimmicky.

I give him credit for addressing a political issue that outrages him.