Fernando Botero had strong links with Italy.

Rome pays homage to the Colombian artist Fernando Botero, who died last year aged 91, with an outdoor exhibition of large-scale sculptures in locations around the city centre.

The eight monumental works by Botero, who is famed for his paintings and sculptures of corpulent figures, will be exhibited from 10 July until 15 October.

The display of larger-than-life men, women and animals is curated by the artist's daughter Lina Botero who described her father's work as "a permanent celebration of life".

Titled Botero a Roma, the exhibition includes Seated Woman, Gatto, Reclining Woman, Seated Woman, Venus Dormida, Horse with Bridle, Standing Man (Adamo) and Standing Woman (Eva).

Le sculture di #Botero per la prima volta a #Roma!

Dal 10 luglio al 1°ottobre arriva “Botero a Roma”: otto opere monumentali saranno installate nelle piazze più belle della capitale

Info https://t.co/np73S3RGJE pic.twitter.com/xPotr0x2Ss

— Roma (@Roma) July 9, 2024

The works will be displayed at the Terrazza del Pincio, Piazza del Popolo, Largo dei Lombardi, Piazza di San Lorenzo in Lucina, Piazza Mignanelli and Piazza San Silvestro.

The project comes ahead of the major exhibition dedicated to Botero which will be hosted at Palazzo Bonaparte in Rome, opening this September.

The artist had strong connections to Italy, a country he travelled around in the 1950s to study the works of Italian Renaissance painters, in particular Piero della Francesca.

Botero was buried in the Tuscan town of Pietrasanta, beside his wife, the Greek artist Sophia Vari who died just four months before him.

Botero was an honorary citizen of Pietrasanta where he worked from a studio every summer in a holiday home he bought in the 1980s.