From our first sight of the statue of Simon Bolivar in Central Park (that would have been in 2016 when we were there for the Arabian World Cup at the Central Park Horse Show), I’ve wanted to learn more about the artist. About the creators of all three of the equestrian statues that stand at the Artists Gate. Because they are magnificent. When I came to learn that two of the three were by female artists I was even more intrigued.
That was how I first came to learn the name Sally James Farnham, a self-taught artist mentored by the famous Frederick Remington. A woman who is largely unknown, despite the fact that during her day she was one of the leading lights figures of her day and created the largest equestrian statue in the United States at that time. To date I haven’t been able to determine if that distinction is true today, but even so Sally Farnham was a leader and a woman who just got on with what inspired her.
I had found tantalizing glimpses from online research that indicated that Sally was quite a horsewoman and recently, I was able to finally put her story into more focus when I bought “The Art of Being an Artist—Sally James Farnham, American Sculptor” by Peter Hassrick. Published in 2005 by the Frederic Remington Art Museum, it’s the first monograph of her work and the quote I've included on the image above is from this book and attributed as a quote to a Los Angeles reporter in 1923. But prior to finding this book I have Michael P. Reed— Director of the Sally James Farnham Catalogue Raissone Project—to thank for answering my every query about the amazing Sally Farnham.