Botero Abu Ghraib art exhibit |
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04 January 2007 ATTENTION: Photo desks and political, Latin America and art writers, editors |
Contact:
Kathleen Maclay, Media Relations
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WHAT
An exhibit at the University of California, Berkeley, of 24 paintings and 23 drawings from the provocative Abu Ghraib collection by Colombian artist Fernando Botero that depict the torture of Iraqi prisoners at the infamous Iraq prison.
Botero is considered Latin America's best known living artist and is among the best known artists in the world today. His bold and distinctive style has a broad appeal that Asia Pacific Sculpture News described as "a vision of humanity that transcends the boundaries of cultural specificity, a vision of humanity that pulsates to the ancient universal rhythms of life." Botero said he produced the deeply disturbing Abu Ghraib collection after reading a news account of the scandal.
Sponsored by UC Berkeley's Center for Latin American Studies, this collection has been exhibited in major museums throughout Europe, but never in museums in the United States.
WHEN
The exhibit formally opens at 6 p.m., Monday, Jan. 29, and continues through Friday, March 23. Hours will be 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. More details will be online at: http://clas.berkeley.edu.
WHERE
190 Doe Library, near the library's north entrance. A map is available at: http://www.berkeley.edu/map/maps/BC34.html.