Marie-Christine Maitre de Tarragon was born in Burgundy, France. She grew up in the family chateau, surrounded by art and horses. Her great-grandfather, the Marquis de Valdahon, was a renowned eighteenth century painter. Her grandmother, the Countess Marie de Tarragon studied art under the master Redoute. Her uncle, Count Richard de Tarragon, was a sculptor in the Bugatti tradition. His mentor was the sculptor PomPon, whose work is in the Museum of Dijon.

When Marie-Christine moved to America, she trained and rode steeplechasers and racing quarter horses. She now trains reining horses and creates equine sculptures.

Her life with her horses and her art is intertwined.
Throughout history, no aminal has surpassed the horse as an object of human passion. The first conquest of Alexander the Great was the untamable Bucephalus; Richard the Third cried ,"my kingdom for a horse"; Jeanne d'Arc's war horse was an emblem of her knighthood. Through the centuries, the horse has embodied the human search for a particular kind of ideal - nobility without pride, beauty without vanity, fidelity without covetousness.

"All my life, horses have been my constant companions. They taught me courage, compassion and patience and their attentive ears are tuned to my heart. ."

Marie-Christines' sculptures reflect her passion for the magnificent animal whose energy and independence embellishes our surroundings. People are often portrayed meditating or standing slightly apart as if in search of their own soul, the horse being the catalyst og their quest - not so much an animal, but an emotion.

"But what is art? It is the eternal quest. An attempt to express an "innermotion", a sensibility, a sensitivity, knitting a tenuous thread between today and our human condition, learning to see without the baggage of learned perception. It is also an attempt to find a sense of fulfillment and perhaps immortality."

"Often I choose the horse to be the narrator of my interpretations as he will continue through the centuries to be a link between men of different shores. In one of my favorite sculptures "Persepolys", I like to imagine Alexander the Great sharing his traditions, contributing his knowledge; that great horse emerging from the sand, bearer of this testimony."

"I never put harness or riders on him - symbols of man's desire to control the power of nature. I incorporate raw materials in certain sculptures as an homage to the Great Mother, infinite in her shapes, colors and eternal beauty."

"Horses have always been my companions and I would like to think that we have come to a good understanding. But finally, Bellerophon, attempting to bridle Pegasus to steal his magic power will not be successful, and with all our wills, we do have to endure our human condition."