The Rooster

Diplomat José Camacho Lorenzana, the alternate Colombian ambassador to the Organization of American States and a former official of the World Bank, and his wife, Agnes, were key figures in Fernando Botero’s early career, pivotal in promoting his work and encouraging his artistic evolution. Coming from a decorated lineage of politicians, José was the grandson of the former president of Colombia, José Hilario López Valdés (1849-1853), who was in large part credited for abolishing slavery in the country during the mid-19th century revolution. Agnes was a relative of Margit Ingeborg Rosengren (1901–1952), a leading Swedish operetta singer during the first half of the 20th century. With a colorful background in both arts and politics, the couple sponsored the artist’s first American retrospective at the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. in 1979, where the present lot was exhibited. The exhibition consisted of 66 works, including The Rooster, drawn from more than 40 museums and galleries as well as the artist’s own collection.