Mennello Museum of American Art

An enormously popular American artist, Deborah Butterfield’s work first gained wide notice at the 1979 Whitney Biennial. Since that time horses have been the single focus of her work for more than 30 years. The museum will feature works in welded metal, bronze, clay and wood and will show an evolution of her materials and scale. Working with natural materials, Butterfield creates works that are both fragile and at the same time full of strength. It is her intent to have the viewer consider that the horse is mankind’s most reliable, and yet mysterious ally. Butterfield’s sculptures convey the sense of movement, weight, energy and volume found in the horses that she lives with on her Montana ranch. The exhibition will include loans from Florida museums and private collections to include the Museum of Fine Arts, Florida State University; The Harn Museum of Art, University of Florida; the L.A. Louver Gallery, Venice, CA; and the Collection of Michael A. Mennello.