''Mustangs of Las Colinas'' is a
bronze sculpture
Bronze is the most popular metal for Casting (metalworking), cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as w ...
by Robert Glen that decorates Williams Square in
Las Colinas in
Irving, Texas. It portrays a group of nine wild
mustangs
The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticated animals, they ...
at 1.5 times life size running through a watercourse. 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
Dart or DART may refer to:
* Dart, the equipment in the game of darts
Arts, entertainment and media
* Dart (comics), an Image Comics superhero
* Dart, a character from ''G.I. Joe''
* Dart, a ''Thomas & Friends'' railway engine character
* Dar ...
Orange Line’s stops at
Las Colinas Urban Center station and
Irving Convention Center station.
Description
The sculpture commemorates the wild
mustang
The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once- domesticated animals, the ...
s that were historically important inhabitants of much of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
. 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
Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...
-paved open space about square. The plaza setting for the sculpture won a National Honor Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects.
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.
References
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1984 establishments in Texas
1984 sculptures
Animal sculptures in Texas
Art museums and galleries in Texas
Bronze sculptures in Texas
Buildings and structures in Irving, Texas
Horses in art
Irving, Texas
Museums in Dallas County, Texas
Outdoor sculptures in Texas
Roadside attractions in Texas
Statues in Texas