It was during the twining anniversary of the city of Gembloux with Skyros that H.R.H. Prince Laurent inaugurated the exhibition to the benefit of the Skyros horse.

The exhibition was held within the scientific framework of the Gembloux faculty of Agronomics and presented the more artistic and aesthetic side of the project. It unveiled unique works of art at the Athena Exhibition hall: paintings, sculptures and art pictures in very different styles, all made around one specific subject, “the Skyros horse”.

Artists from the United States, France, Belgium and Greece provided through this exhibition their personal touch and illustrated the horse during its glorious days in Ancient Greece. Others presented the Skyros horse in its current environment at the SILVA breeding centre in Corfu. Each artist was free to use the preferred technique and painting or modelling materials, watercolour, oil, crayons, pastel, wood, clay, bronze, stone or raku ceramics.

“ Most artists are very enthusiastic about this project because it offers them the opportunity to contribute, through art, in helping others to discover an endangered species”, mentioned the exhibition organiser, Aliki Alexandra Steen. “Some have focused on the ancient origins of this horse, others illustrate the human-horse relation and the therapeutic role that these small horses can have with handicapped children”. The exhibition also presented a beautiful poem, “Hipparion dreams”, written by the Belgian poet Francis Felix.