It was donated by the artist to the Government of Colombia to commemorate the signing of the peace agreement with the FARC-EP guerrilla group.

On 24 September 2016, then Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos unveiled to the public La paloma de la paz sculpture that artist Fernando Botero had created as a gesture of support for the peace deal agreement reached between the government and the FARC-EP guerrilla group.

[3] Botero, who was not present in the unveiling ceremony, included a note in Spanish that read: The sculpture remained within the Casa de Nariño until the last days of the presidency of Juan Manuel Santos before being transferred to the National Museum of Colombia in a ceremony that was led by first lady María Clemencia Rodríguez Múnera.

[12] Botero's Paloma de la paz has been seen by Colombians as a symbol of support for the peace process between the national government and FARC-EP guerrilla group.

When then President Juan Manuel Santos unveiled the sculpture to the nation, he was spearheading the campaign for Colombians to approve of the peace agreement through a referendum.