Deborah Butterfield?s newest sculptures capture the powerful aura of horses, but the material isn't what it appears to be, adding another reason to stand in awe.

American sculptor Deborah Butterfield?s newest exhibition at Marlborough Gallery in New York invites viewers to walk circles around sculptures that hold the most honest aura of horses I?ve ever seen, and yet delightfully deceive in their material. Though each work appears to be assembled from various types of wood, they are in fact all bronze.
Deborah Butterfield, 2022, Marlborough Gallery, New York, Installation View
Three Rivers, 2021-2022, cast bronze, unique
Three Rivers (detail), 2021-2022
Deborah Butterfield credits her lifelong fascination with horses with her exact birthday: the same day as the 75th Kentucky Derby. Living in Montana and Hawaii, she?s an accomplished rider herself, boards many horses, and (as evidenced by every one of her sculptures) possesses an unrivaled understanding of a horse’s spirit and anatomy. Bow Tie, 2021-2022, cast bronze, unique
Bow Tie (detail), 2021-2022
Deborah Butterfield, 2022, Marlborough Gallery, New York, Installation View
Deborah collects her wood from the ground rather than carve anything from a block. Her choices are perfect but never obvious, with an eye to find the perfect piece but also allow the wood to inform the position of the horse. The wood is then cast in bronze and patinated to resemble the color and light-catching quality of the original woo...