c. 1986
paint, wood
17 1/2 x 26 1/4 x 11 1/4 inches
Burchfield Penney Art Center Collection, Gift of Charles Rand Penney 1991
The whimsical, playful work by Sandra Berry is a tribute to the New York’s World Fair of 1939. The rectilinear form that the rocking horse takes on, reflects the futurist style that the Fair presented.
The use of a ball as a support for the rider references the iconic Perisphere (a globe sculpture) that paired with the Trylon made up the Theme Center at the Fair.
The Fair was an explosion of Modernist design and the swirling colors of Berry in this sculpture echo that sentiment. The roughness of the exposed wood adjacent to the painted wood suggests a coming together of the old and the new.
Scott Propeack, Chief Curator, Associate Director