Mustangs of Las Colinas explained

Mustangs of Las Colinas
Image Upright:1.35
Artist:Robert Glen
Medium:Bronze sculpture
Metric Unit:cm
Imperial Unit:in
Coordinates:32.8706°N -96.9388°W
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Zoom:13
Owner:Irving Archives and Museum

Mustangs of Las Colinas is a bronze sculpture by Robert Glen that decorates Williams Square in Las Colinas in Irving, Texas.[1] It portrays a group of nine wild mustangs at times life size running through a watercourse.[2] Fountains give the effect of water splashed by the animals' hooves. The work was commissioned in 1976 and installed in 1984.

Mustangs of Las Colinas Museum is located adjacent to the sculpture, in the east building of The Towers at Williams Square. The museum has exhibits and a film about the work's creation as well as additional sculptures by Robert Glen.

Williams Square is accessible from the DART Orange Line’s stops at Las Colinas Urban Center station and Irving Convention Center station.[3]

Description

The sculpture commemorates the wild mustangs that were historically important inhabitants of much of Texas. The horses are intended to represent the drive, initiative and unfettered lifestyle that were fundamental to the state in its pioneer days.

SWA Group's design created a shallow watercourse extending from northeast to southwest across Williams Square, a gently sloping granite-paved open space about square. The plaza setting for the sculpture won a National Honor Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects.[4]

The buildings around the square rise (26 floors) on the north and (14 floors) on the east and west sides, with the south side open to O'Connor Boulevard. The sculpture is substantial, but the scale of the surrounding structures keeps it from dominating the space.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: . n.d. . Robert Glen Biography . en . Robert Glen - Member of the Artists for Conservation Foundation . https://web.archive.org/web/20210920101335/https://www.natureartists.com/artists/artist_biography.asp?ArtistID=159 . 2021-09-20 . live . Glen's public commissions include one of Texas' proudest monuments and one of the largest equestrian sculptures in the world, the Mustangs of Las Colinas in Irving, Texas. . dmy-all .
  2. Web site: . n.d. . Las Colinas Mustangs History . https://web.archive.org/web/20240125001416/https://www.irvingarchivesandmuseum.com/mustangs-of-las-colinas . 2024-01-25 . live . 2024-02-16 . The foundry used the molds for scaling and measurement in creating 1½ times life-size foam models. . dmy-all.
  3. . New Route 503 to Serve Irving Convention Center, Las Colinas Urban Center . 2012-07-30. Press Release . . https://web.archive.org/web/20120715032119/http://www.dart.org/rideralerts/fullra.asp?id=1409 . en-us . . 2012-07-15 . dead . 2012-07-13 . In conjunction with the arrival of the DART Rail Orange Line into Irving and Las Colinas on Monday, July 30, DART introduces a new circulator bus service linking major points of interest near the Las Colinas Urban Center and Irving Convention Center. . dmy-all.
  4. Web site: 1985 ASLA Professional Awards Recipients . . March 8, 2010.