Blucifer

Blue Mustang was commissioned in 1992 for $300,000,^[3][4] and was not erected at DIA until 2008. Like most public art in Denver, the statue was paid for by developers, who since 1988 have been required to contribute 1% of the cost of major capital projects to public art in the city.^[5][6]

The original proposal had been for a sculpture of a buffalo stampede, but this was deemed inappropriate, since buffalo had been hunted to near extinction in the West. So, Jiménez proposed a mustang – a symbol of the West and an early method of long-distance travel.^[7]

The piece was partly modeled on Jiménez's own Appaloosa stallion, Blackjack, a horse he bought in fulfillment of a childhood desire after becoming a successful artist.^[7]

Prior to creating the 32-foot Blue Mustang, Jiménez completed five similar horse sculptures at a smaller scale.^[8] Four are held in private collections,^[9] but the 8-foot Mesteño, which was completed in 1997 and served as one-quarter model for the 32-foot sculpture, has been part of the University of Oklahoma's public collection since 1998.^[10]