The work of American artist Charles Ray is difficult to categorize; his diverse practice spans different media, subject matters, styles, and concepts. Ray began his artistic career under the tutelage of sculptor Roland Brener at the University of Iowa. During this time, he was exposed to the works of English sculptor Anthony Caro and to concepts such as tension, seriality, and balance. This formalist language is evident in Ray’s exploration of perspective, his handling of materials, and his conceptualization of form within a surrounding space. On view outside the Pavilions is Horse and rider, 2014, a sculpture fashioned in solid stainless steel. Depicting an older horse and its similarly-aged rider in a casual, candid pose, the sculpture questions the genre of heroic equestrian statues and our relationship to the histories these statues typically portray.

–Jamiee Shim, from the Glenstone Field Guide