‘Sphinx’ Sculpture By Fernando Botero On Display In The Meatpacking District

For a limited time only, Colombian artist Fernando Botero has a huge new sculpture on display in the Meatpacking District—and you won’t want to miss it. Through April 19th, the David Benrimon Fine Art Gallery presents Fernando Botero, an exhibition featuring a selection of paintings, sculptures, and works on paper by the internationally-renowned artist in honor of his 90th birthday.

Botero is most known for his signature art style known as “Boterismo” — which involves the depiction of people and figures using exaggerated proportions, bright and flat colors, and modest sensuality as a means of inciting political criticism or humor depending on the subject matter. Botero first studied to be a matador before moving to Spain and France in 1952, where he discovered his passion for art and studied the techniques of Renaissance painters.

Botero’s most famous works in New York City are Adam and Eve inside the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle.  For New Yorkers interested in discovering more about Botero, his artwork can also be found inside the Museum of Modern Art. Pieces featured at the museum include Mona Lisa, Age Twelve, which satirically depicts Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece as a child, and Women In A Bathtub, a pencil sketch of a voluptuously drawn woman taking a shower. He also created a 12-foot sculpture of a cat that sits in front of the Crosby Hotel in Soho.

The exhibition Fernando Botero focuses on work from Botero’s career that melds both historical and contemporary art references with his unique Boterismo style. In doing so, the artist’s work reimagines historical themes, mythological subjects, and Latin American culture.

As a key part of the exhibition, Botero’s sculpture Sphinx is currently on view in the Meatpacking District’s 14th Street Square. Sphinx serves as an interpretation of the classical creature it derives its name from with the head of a human, body of a lion, and wings of a falcon.

At eight feet tall, the sculpture towers over its viewers, presenting a creature central to Egyptian, Greek, and Central Asian tradition in a new light. Before coming to New York, the sculpture has been placed in Berlin, Medellin, and the Hague, Netherlands.

Next, check out 10 Statues You Wouldn’t Expect To See In Manhattan’s Public Spaces!