Pascal
Date1991
Label TextButterfield made the horse her primary subject in the mid 1970s. She assembles improbable fragments into lifesized figures. Her materials have ranged from sticks, mud, and wire to steel elements salvaged from construction sites. Unlike traditional equestrian sculptors, who seek perfect form and surface for their statues and trophies, Butterfield respects the nature and patina of her ordinary materials and allows the viewer to imagine her process of choosing, placing, and assembling the parts. She has a fine eye for the outlines and masses of her horses. Though lovingly observed, "Pascal" avoids sentimentality. The object's vivid, living qualities are countered by its skeletal openness and timeworn surfaces; the body looms grandly, but stands on spindly legs.
Object number93.71
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Five Installations on the Fourth Floor: Horses" (June 26, 1997)
San Diego, California, San Diego Museum of Art, "Deborah Butterfield", 7/20-9/15/96 (07/20/1996 - 09/15/1996)Credit LineMargaret E. Fuller Purchase Fund; Jon and Mary Shirley; Northwest Purchase Fund; Betty and Dick Hedreen; Ann H. Hauberg; Gull Industries, Inc.; Faye and Herman Sarkowsky; Greg Kucera and Larry Yocom; the Contemporary Acquisition Fund; Stuart M. Sloan; Judy Dayton; and Laila and Thurston Twigg-Smith
Dimensions84 1/2 x 109 x 45 in. (214.63 x 276.86 x 114.3 cm)
MediumSteel and iron
log in
