Blue Mustang


Blue Mustang, known to locals by the nickname Blucifer, is a cast-fiberglass sculpture of a mustang located at Denver International Airport. Colored bright blue, with illuminated glowing red eyes, it is notable both for its striking appearance and for having killed its creator Luis Jiménez when a section of it fell on him at his studio.

Overview

Blue Mustang was one of the earliest public art commissions for Denver International Airport in 1993. The sculpture was based on the eight-foot-high sculpture Mesteño, on display at the University of Oklahoma. Standing at tall and weighing including its steel armature, Blue Mustang is located in the median of Peña Boulevard. Jiménez was killed in 2006 at age 65 while creating the sculpture when its head fell on him and severed an artery in his leg. At the time of his death, Jiménez had completed painting the head of the mustang. The sculpture was completed with the help of the artist's staff, family, and professional race-car painters Camillo Nuñez and Richard LaVato. Upon completion the sculpture was sent to California for assembly and then shipped to Denver. Blue Mustang was unveiled at Denver International Airport on February 11, 2008.
The sculpture has been both widely disparaged and defended. In September 2019, the piece was vandalized with orange graffiti on its hooves.