BOTERO AT BERKELEY: Bringing Botero to Berkeley

Jean Spencer reveals the inside story of how this remarkable exhibition and series of events came about.

Although Fernando Botero’s “Abu Ghraib” series of paintings and drawings was shown to critical acclaim and strong public interest in museums across Europe, no U.S. museum had agreed to display the works by fall 2006. The exhibit was shown for one month at The Marlboro Gallery in New York, which often features Botero’s art, and received a glowing review in the New York Times. Harley Shaiken, Chair of the Center for Latin American Studies, saw the review and decided to issue a long-shot invitation to Mr. Botero to bring his art to the University of California, Berkeley.