Kentucky Derby Horse a ‘Champion’ for Right to Die: Barbaro’s Central Park Unveiling is Latest Work by Controversial Artist
NEW YORK, N.Y. — Barbaro, the euthanized champion racehorse, is an emblem for the Right To Die and Death With Dignity movements in a monument to be unveiled in Central Park this April, before the 134th Kentucky Derby. “The Barbaro Memorial for the Right to Die” by controversial sculptor Daniel Edwards is a tribute to the late Triple Crown contender and is dedicated to the institution of euthanasia, announced Manhattan’s Leo Kesting Gallery.
“The Barbaro Memorial” will depict the thoroughbred champion in the winner’s circle on his back with his number 8 saddle cloth draping his belly and hooves in the air, representing his inability to stand on his feet due to the debilitating laminitis which followed the shattered ankle he suffered in the 2006 Preakness Stakes.
Barbaro was put down for his injuries January 29th of 2007.
Barbaro was euthanized after every option for saving him was explored, well into a painful existence. “A suffering horse cannot call Dr. Kevorkian for an assisted suicide because, like Terry Schiavo, the ailing horse cannot speak for itself,” said gallery co-director, David Kesting. It was reported that in the end, Barbaro was biting at people before he was finally allowed to die with dignity.
“We believe a memorial dedicated to the Right to Die will encourage horse owners to forego their own self-interests and act mercifully on behalf of their suffering horse,” said gallery co-director, John Leo. “If Barbaro has taught us anything, it is that horses deserve our compassion first.”
Barbaro, winner of the Kentucky Derby by the largest margin since 1946, was considered a shoe-in to win the Belmont Stakes and English Derby, fueling speculation his life was prolonged for stud fee earnings.
Edwards’s past sculptures include a nude Britney Spears giving birth on a bearskin rug, an interactive autopsy of Paris Hilton with removable organs, and a war dead Prince Harry clutching the cameo-locket of his late mother Princess Diana.
Leo Kesting Gallery is at 812 Washington St. in Manhattan. Contact David Kesting at 917-650-3760 or John Leo at 917-292-8865 or http://www.BarbarosLaw.com.
[tags]Leo Kesting Gallery Manhattan, controversial sculptor Daniel Edwards, Barbaro Memorial for the Right to Die[/tags]
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ABOUT THE EDITOR: Aria C. Munro works in the book publishing industry and has been a content editor for the Neotrope News Network since 2004. Her black video iPod is most often shuffling Invader Zim episode vids and Thomas Dolby or Dead Can Dance tunez.
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Tags: artist Daniel Edwards, Barbaro Memorial
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This is a disgusting display of “honor” and should not be allowed to be unveiled. Although the artist may be of a “controvertial style” this is disgusting and disrespectful. Barbaro was a great racehorse and people from random websites should not go reporting false information about him such as him being a shoe in for the Belmont stakes and ENGLISH DERBY??? No. It is the Preakness Stakes. Also, Barbaro’s owners were not being selfish in trying to save him. They cared deeply about him and you need to realize that it was a very difficult situation they were in also, being in the limelight. You do not know enough about the topic to say that he wanted to die, and in conclusion before I go any more mad, it is mine and I am sure many other people’s opinion that this “memorial” is an innapropriate statement toward (and way to remember) such a great champion. He should be remembered in a way that fully shows him and everthing he was(gorgeous, brilliantly fast, inspirational, and a saviour to many horses for the fact that he brought attention to equine problems and that there are research funds in his name) , not in a way like this. Thank you,
Emily
age 14
IL
i agree with Emily. How would you like Barbaro’s owners to read this? You make them sound heartless and greedy, when, as I’ve heard from Emily many times, they aren’t. They wanted their horse to die with pride, yes, but they also wanted their horse to live as long as possible. You make it sound as though he was not improving, just suffering. I remember Emily telling me Barbaro had gone from being hospitalized to grazing again. He was doing fine, just recovering. I think time and money could be better served than on this organization. I do think there is a time when an animal should be put to sleep, but if recovery is an option, I believe the owners should try their hardest. THEY LOVE THEIR PET. That isn’t a bad thing.
I agree with emily and believe that this is no way to honor a champion. Would he decide to have his memorial of Martin Luther King Jr. dead. Or of JFK.? They’re grandmother? I don’t think so. Also there’s one thing with his controversial other pieces of art but those are people who chose to mess up their lives. Barbaro was a hero.
Every time I read about this statue, the whole thing becomes more offensive. Your writer is completely ignorant. Barbaro–and other racehorses, healthy or ill–bite at people because they are high spirited and feisty. Barbaro was a fighter and a champion. He was NEVER put through pain except at the very end when the laminitis–the disease that took his life–spread to the front hooves. In horses, this happens very fast and without warning. To insinuate that the owners did anything other than have the best interests of their beloved horse at heart is a complete falsehood and a lie. Your writer’s profile indicates nothing that discloses any knowledge about horses, racing, or anything remotely connected with this situation. What a travesty that we have the Internet to thank for such a waste of cyberspace. Go get a real job.