Botero horse ‘gallops’ through KL

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 14): A magnificent, two-tonne horse sculpted by Colombian artist Fernando Botero yesterday “galloped” its way from ONE KL, Jalan Pinang, to its permanent home at the new St Regis Kuala Lumpur, the latest hotel to open in the sprawling Kuala Lumpur Sentral complex. This six-star property, scheduled to be completed next April, includes both a hotel and private residences that operate under the St Regis brand.

Specially commissioned for the luxury hotel chain’s new property in Kuala Lumpur, the sculpture is the largest the artist has ever made and weighs in at exactly 2.5 tonnes, and stands at a statuesque 3.6m in height. It will be installed in the hotel’s drawing room, which has been specially designed and constructed to accommodate the sculpture’s massive size and weight.

“We specially commissioned this sculpture back in 2009, and it was delivered in 2010. It has been getting a lot of public attention since then because of its size and majesty,” said Carmen Chua, chief executive officer of The St Regis Kuala Lumpur’s developers One IFC Sdn Bhd. “The image of the horse pays tribute to polo, which is a sport St Regis has always had a strong affiliation with. This is the largest of Botero’s sculptures in the world, and because his pieces tend to attract a lot of attention, having it at The St Regis will also put Malaysia on the world’s art map.”

The Botero horse, which departed from The St Regis sales gallery at 10am yesterday from ONE KL, took the scenic route to its new home, thoroughly entertaining motorists and members of the public as it made its way along Jalan Kia Peng, Jalan Tun Razak, past the Putra World Trade Centre and onwards along the Federal Highway and Jalan Damansara.

The process of placing this sculpture in its final home required expertise unlike anything the local art  scene had ever seen — a specialist art mover was assisted by a 25-tonne crane, a five-tonne forklift and trailers.

“Our specialist art movers are from Singapore, which has international expertise in dealing with Botero’s sculptures,” Chua added. “They have been collaborating with movers based in Kuala Lumpur to ensure the transfer goes well and the sculpture makes the journey safely.”

Botero’s artworks are somewhat of a St Regis signature — a painting hangs in The St Regis Istanbul, while a sculpture entitled Dancing Nude Couple welcomes the guests ahead of the John Jacob Ballroom at The St Regis Singapore.

Born in 1932 in Columbia, 83-year-old Botero is also commonly referred to as El Maestro, or The Master.

His signature style of large, exaggerated volumes of animals that are captured in his sculptures and paintings have been widely exhibited in museums and galleries all over the world, and have lined many famous avenues including the Champs Elysees in Paris, and Park Avenue and Central Park in New York.

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This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on Dec 14, 2015. Subscribe to The Edge Financial Daily here.