If Blucifer could talk what tales this blue horse would tell. Officially named Mustang this 32-foot-tall fiberglass sculpture stands tall. It rears in a display of power. It is located at Denver International Airport. Some Denverites love it. Some hate it. Many are curious about the Do Not Climb Horse Sculpture.
DIA’s senior vice president Stacey Stegman sees the horse as a protector of travelers guarding the airport. But there is much intrigue around this blue mustang. Is the Do Not Climb Horse Sculpture cursed?
The sculpture did kill its creator. That part is true. Luis Jiménez died in 2006 at 65. A part of Mustang came loose while he was working on it. It severed an artery in his leg. He bled to death. The sculpture was finally installed more than 15 years after it was commissioned. It made its debut on Feb. 11 2008.
What about those glowing red eyes? They aren’t portals to perdition. They are LED flood lights. The airport’s electrical team has only changed them twice in seven years. The red eyes are a tribute to the artist’s father. Jiménez’s father owned a neon-sign shop. Luis learned how to weld and paint there.
Jiménez wanted his process to be close to the industrial process. He felt it was a blue-collar process. His wife Susan remembers an incident. Luis was home alone. He heard something in the living room. He saw two eyes. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. It was their horse Black Jack. Black Jack was the model for Luis’s final work. The eyes do not have any evil intent.
Jiménez was masterful with colors. Dale Kronkright worked on the preservation of Mustang. The artist often included flake. That glittery quality is seen on lowrider cars. Some critics found his work too flashy. Others saw his art as a symbol of the Chicano. It was a nod to his own heritage. Kronkright sees defiance in Mustang. It is an absolute expression of identity.
The gigantic part proved to be an engineering challenge. Jiménez said this work is going to kill me. It was exhausting trying to figure out the engineering. Susan Jiménez said it was important to finish Mustang. It was his life’s work.
Some early sketches had Mustang as yellow or even pink. But Luis decided on blue. He modeled it after Black Jack. Black Jack was a blue Appaloosa.
The striking blue color and glowing red eyes were controversial. There was even a Facebook page called DIA’s Heinous Blue Mustang Has Got to Go. DIA public art manager Colleen Donohoe appreciates that people still talk about the artwork. The airport continues to hear from people for and against Mustang. Some say he scares our children. Others say you should paint him orange like the Broncos.
The sculpture has also had to hold up against rain hail and intense wind. A vandal recently dared to spray graffiti on the horse’s lower legs. The airport was able to have it removed without damage. Denver insures the horse for $2 million. DIA’s Stacey Stegman thinks there would now be a public outcry if the airport removed Mustang.
So next time you’re driving by take a closer look at Blucifer. Pay your respects to the artist and admire his final creation. Just remember do not climb the horse.