Oklahoma City's Western Heritage Museum Showcases Italy's Endangered Cowboy Culture through Gabrielle Saveri's Lens

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City is hosting a photographic exhibition called “Italy’s Legendary Cowboys of the Maremma” by Gabrielle Saveri, a San Francisco-based artist. The exhibition explores the lives of the 'butteri,' Italy’s cowboys, who have lived in the region of Maremma, between Rome and Florence, for centuries. The butteri, cattle breeders and horsemen, have a history dating back to the Etruscan era. However, their culture is now at risk, with fewer than 30 working cowboys left in the region.

Saveri, a photographer, writer, and videographer, was attracted to Maremma in 2013 due to her Italian-American heritage, love for horses, and interest in the butteri. A meeting with a French horseman a year earlier gave her a connection to the butteri community in Italy. This led her to the town of Alberese, where she was introduced to the world of the butteri. During her first visit, Saveri joined three butteri on their morning work ride, learning about horse herding and cattle tending.

Saveri said, “I first learned about the butteri in the 1990s while working as a reporter in Rome. I had always wanted to go riding with them. I finally did it. It was a wonderful experience.” Since then, Saveri has returned to Maremma annually (except during the pandemic), documenting the lives of the butteri through her photography. Her photographs, known for their bold colors and strong compositions, honor the men and women of Maremma who are working to preserve their culture and traditions.

While working on her project, Saveri discovered the social, economic, and agricultural changes in Maremma caused by Benito Mussolini's drainage of the local marshlands in the 1920s. This, along with several Italian recessions, changes in farming practices and food laws, and higher grain prices due to the war in Ukraine, have changed the landscape of Maremma, leading many butteri to leave their traditional lifestyle or find work elsewhere.

Saveri's exhibition displays the traditions of the butteri, some of which date back to the days of Buffalo Bill, and highlights their efforts to preserve their legacy. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s exhibition of Saveri's images gives visitors a chance to learn about Italian cowboy culture. Through Saveri's exhibition of 29 photographs and a video installation, audiences can experience the landscape of Maremma and the tradition of the butteri. The museum has previously featured exhibitions about Native American and Black cowboys.

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