Medellin through pictures 22 days and counting

Twenty two days in Medellin Colombia and most of what I have seen is the worksite that I have been consulting on (as well as doing a large amount of work with my own hands- this has made it much more bearable). However, for one brief afternoon recently I was free to take in more of the cultural side of Medellin. Not that a work site doesn't instruct on the culture of a place- it is just that I wanted to see the crown jewels as well.
Our first stop ( I was traveling around with a scenic professional from Bogota who speaks excellent English and made it much easier to navigate- Thanks Ricardo! ) was Parque Lleras which is a nice little park surrounded by restaurants and bars.

We had lunch at a little Mexican place on the corner and then headed out by taxi to the Museo de Antioquia.

The first thing you see when you arrive at the Museo de Antioquia is a courtyard filled with huge bronzes by Fernando Botero. Botero is perhaps Medellin's most celebrated artists and the Museo has a fantastic collection of his work.

Across from the Museo de Antioquia is the very beautiful Catedral la Candelaria. I was struck by the unusual checkerboard stone work of this building.

The Museo de Antioquia was once I gather a library and looks very institutional. We got to see two floors which included the Botero collection, an exhibition called "Horizontes 100 anos" which is a celebration of 100 years of an independent Antioquia, and the international collection. Below are a few of the highlights of the "Horizontes" exhibition.

Detail of painting by Fredy Serna "Sin Horizontes"

Installation by Santiago Velez- very clever use of material. The open boxes were sealed and held water which was so still it looked like resin... until i stuck my hand in one to feel the surface I would have sworn it was clear casting resin.

Beautiful work on paper by David Manzur "Tribute to a White Wall"

The Botero section has very nice work as well. I am not a fan of the huge sculptural figures but I like some of his drawings and painting. Here are a few examples from the collection.

"Head"

I think this one is called "Black Bishop" which has inspired me to make a drawing in my sketchbook called  "NegroHumptyDumpty"

"Hand"

"El Noche"

This last drawing held me for some time "Dying Bull" is a master work in my opinion.

On to the International collection which had an unpleasant surprise at its end. I can not really give an opinion of this collection as we were literally being chased out of the wing by security as the museum closed ( lights being turned off and everything like a club at 3am) (except in the club the lights come on). They did have one Picasso drawing-

 And then I entered a room after breezing by a Stella and a Rauschenberg and there it was. A giant canvass with an obscene frame holding a spilly splash of pigment. Without even looking at the tag I knew the author of the horror before me.

Another monstrosity from Julian Schnabel. I have titled it "No Energy"

Next I hope to get to the Museum of Modern Art Medellin. More to come from Colombia!