Tate Modern has commissioned York woodcarver Iain Broadbent and furniture maker John Watts to recreate a rocking horse made by Arshile Gorky, whose retrospective exhibition will run at London gallery until May 3.

Gorky, alongside Rothko, Pollock and de Kooning, was one of the most powerful American painters of the 20th century and a seminal figure in the formation of Abstract Expressionism.

Although best known for his paintings, he was a skilled carpenter too, having been taught by his uncle in his native Armenia, and he created the rocking horse for his daughter, Maro, in 1943.

The original is now fragile, so much so that it was too delicate to be relocated to Iain and John’s studio. Instead they had to make their copy by working from templates, photographs and detailed measurements to replicate Gorky’s original method.

Iain has worked on many woodcarving and restoration projects around Britain, and multiple examples of his work can be found on the streets of York, for example the carved Merchant Adventurers sign on Fossgate and the restoration of the coat of arms above the Jigsaw shop on Stonegate.

John creates traditional and contemporary furniture for private and corporate clients nationwide, and his past commissions in York include a desk for the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall and a display cabinet for the Land Registry in James Street.

Both artists will be taking part in the 2010 York Open Studios from April 16 to 18, when 55 artists will open their doors to show how and where they work. For more details, visit yorkopenstudios.co.uk

• Arshile Gorky’s retrospective at Tate Modern includes paintings and drawings from across his career and a handful of rarely seen sculptures. Born in Armenia, he arrived in the USA in 1920 after fleeing from persecution in his home country and adopted the name Arshile Gorky with reference to the Russian writer Maxim Gorky.