Barbaro Depicted in Controversial Statue

After Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was humanely euthanized a year ago, the Leo Kesting Gallery in New York City wants to honor the famous racehorse in a controversial way. According to widespread news reports, the art gallery wants to unveil a memorial depicting Barbaro near Central Park this spring, close to where a carriage horse died after it was spooked by a street musician’s drum and ran into a tree. However, according to a statement from the gallery, the memorial, a sculpture by artist Daniel Edwards, depicts Barbaro lying upside down, hooves in the air, with a No. 8 saddle cloth draped over his belly. The gallery wants to unveil the statue April 30 to raise awareness for legislation urging mandatory disclosure of race-related horse injuries and fatalities.

According to news reports, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation has not yet received an application for a special event permit or a temporary public art permit allowing the unveiling.

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Barbaro’s owners, Gretchen and Roy Jackson, have said they are not involved with the memorial in any way.

Other sculptures by Edwards include a topless Hillary Clinton, a nude Britney Spears giving birth on a bearskin rug, an interactive autopsy of Paris Hilton and Suri Cruise’s baby poop bronzed.

18 years ago

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View Comments

cc says:
January 26, 2008 at 9:45 am
great article
Jennifer says:
January 26, 2008 at 9:50 am
great article
fa says:
January 26, 2008 at 5:59 pm
This guys is nuts, but I like the Barbaro sculpture idea.
n/a says:
January 26, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Gross! That's not how we want to remember him.
Julie says:
January 26, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Was Barbaro a stallion? I was wondering if the "heroic" measures for saving Barbaro were intended for stud services.
Susan says:
January 27, 2008 at 10:43 am
I think that is a very poor way to depict a horse that was a hero to so many people. Barbaro should be shown as the proud racehorse he was, not in such a demented way
cc says:
January 27, 2008 at 11:39 am
great article
Jennifer says:
January 27, 2008 at 11:46 am
great article
William says:
January 27, 2008 at 3:37 pm
That is so weird. I think it is a good idea to put up a memorial but not one like that.
Melinda says:
January 27, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Art is often controversial to stimulate discussion and provoke thought on topics that make us uncomfortable. Personally, I think there should be more focus on injuries to race horses and how they're treated, so I'm not upset by the concept behind this memorial. It's the fact that it's of Barbaro-- a horse millions grew to love-- that's bothersome.