Botero's battle: Some six years ago, Colombian painter Fernando Botero started making shocking images of his country's violent, 40-year guerilla war—graphic depictions of massacres, murders, and funerals that have since generated interest in galleries in Europe. "It's very hard to know what would be the reaction," he says in an audio interview with the New York Times' Juan Forero. "They would be pleased to know that an artist did something about it... I'm not trying to change any situation with my work, because I know that art cannot do this, but at the same time, it will important, in 20 years, or whenever we get peace in this country, that people remember this horrible moment in our history and that it makes a reflection on them of how stupid was the whole thing..." Now, he's addressing the atrocities at Abu Ghraib prison (mentioned here last month). While museums in Germany have shown interest in the new body of work, no American institutions have. "If any museum wants to show works of torture, well, I would be delighted," Botero said. "The museum that decides to show it would have to be conscious that many people would be repulsed and be against it." More images of Botero's work here.
(Thanks, Mike.)