Ariane Bicho

Powerful, intense, emotional, and disturbing: these four words frequently crop up in written comments left by visitors in conjunction with the exhibition, Fernando Botero: The Abu Ghraib Series. Depicting prisoner abuse by American guards at Abu Ghraib prison, the 56 paintings and drawings comprising the series have stirred disgust and shock, while also generating this visitor question: Is “liking” this work the point? In this video interview with Botero, the artist shares some of his thoughts on his experience creating the Abu Ghraib series, which he generously donated to the museum’s permanent collection in 2009.