A towering sculpture 15 years in the making – and whose renowned artist died in an accident while working on it – is finally coming to Denver.
“Mustang,” a 32-foot-tall fiberglass sculpture of a rearing horse by New Mexico artist Luis Jimenez, should be in place outside Denver International Airport by the end of the year, airport deputy manager Sally Covington told Denver City Council members at a committee meeting Wednesday.
“It is still in New Mexico, but it is being completed, and we hope to take delivery in the next couple of months,” she said.
City officials commissioned “Mustang” in 1992 at a cost of $300,000. The project saw several spats and lawsuits over the pace of the work. Then in June 2006, Jimenez – an acclaimed artist whose work is in the Smithsonian and the Denver Art Museum – died when a section of the sculpture came loose from a hoist and pinned him against a steel support beam. He was 65.
DIA spokesman Steve Snyder said Jimenez’s family worked to finish the sculpture, although he said he didn’t know whether family members hired another artist or finished it themselves.
“We’re in final negotiations right now with the family to try to get it here,” Snyder said. “We think it should be here by the end of the year.”
Members of Jimenez’s family could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Because of the long wait and tragedy surrounding the sculpture, the announcement at Wednesday’s City Council Economic Development Committee meeting appeared to come as a surprise to skeptical council members.
“This year?” Councilman Charlie Brown asked Covington after she spoke.
“This year,” Covington confirmed.
Kendall Peterson, Denver’s public-art administrator, said “Mustang” will be worth the wait.
“It’s the realization of Luis Jimenez’s vision for DIA and for Denver,” Peterson said. “We’re just thrilled that it’s going to be in our collection.”
“Mustang” will sit on Peña Boulevard, in the median about a half-mile before the inbound road splits to the east and west sides of the terminal, Snyder said.
“We’re excited about it,” he said. “Obviously, it’s been a very long process, with a lot of ups and downs. The death of the artist was tragic, all the way around. Hopefully, it will be nice for the family to see it completed and put out here.”
Staff writer John Ingold can be reached at 720-929-0898 or jingold@denverpost.com.
