Monument to the Last Horse
Marfa, Texas
Background History
Donald Judd commissioned this sculpture as a long time friend of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. Oldenburg and Coosje designed the Monument to the Last Horse in 1991. The project began in 1987 and was finished in 1991.
Artist Statement
Oldenburg and Coosje designed the horse shoe theme as a tribute to the last horse "Louie" to be laid to rest at Fort D. A. Russell, the base of the 1st U.S calvary. Louie was disbanded in 1932. Oldenburg and Coosje's only struggle was designing a piece that symbolized the horse and the fort's history.
My Thoughts
What the piece symbolizes to me is what kind of history that the U.S calvary had there with the horse. To me it seems that their horse was a big role in what they had to do and it did well at it.