The Baroque World of Fernando Botero is the current featured exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in downtown St. Petersburg.  The exhibition runs from January 9th through April 4th, and it includes 100 paintings, sculptures, and drawings from Botero’s private collection.  Many of the works have not been exhibited publicly before.  In addition to all of the work on exhibit inside the museum, there are two extraordinary pieces that have been strategically placed on the front and rear lawns of the museum.

Botero, a world-renowned Colombian born painter and sculptor, is known for creating works of art that are united by their proportionally exaggerated, or “fat” figures, as he once referred to them.  Botero graduated from Medellin University in Colombia in 1950, and in following years, studied in Madrid, Florence, New York, and Paris, where he moved in 1973 and where he lives today.

As one can see from the two sculptures that are in temporary residence outside the museum, Botero appears to have fun with his craft, and this theme can be seen throughout much of his work.  If you’d like to get a little of the ‘flavor’ of Botero’s work, you can check out this link at Google Images.  And if you’d like to see either of the images below in its full-screen splendor, just click on the photo.

For information about the Museum of Fine Arts, including location, direction, hours of operation, and more, check out their website.