He is also an accomplished sculptor, as can be seen by his bronze Still Life with Watermelon from 1976-77, which is one of the highlights at Van Ham in Cologne on December 2.
Botero had painted several versions of the same subject in the previous years, one of which he transposed into a new medium. In this case he also remained true to his principle of large dimensions: the bronze he created measures 4ft 11in x 6ft 7in x 3ft 11in (1.5 x 2 x 1.2m).
It was cast in an edition of six by Fonderia Tesconi in the northern Tuscan town of Pietrasanta. In 2006, Christie’s achieved $374,400 for number 3 of the edition and in 2011, Phillips in New York sold number 1 for $362,500 including premium. The estimate at Van Ham for number 4 is €150,000-200,000.
