Robert Glen, whose Mustangs of Las Colinas became part of the area’s identity, has died in Cork, Ireland. He was 83.
Glen died of a short illness on Oct. 28, the city of Irving and the Mustangs of Las Colinas Museum and Visitor Center announced Tuesday.
Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer said in a statement that Glen’s sculptures will “forever be a part of Irving’s history, culture and beauty.”
In 1976, Glen was commissioned by Ben H. Carpenter, developer of Las Colinas, to create a larger-than-life sculpture as the signature piece for the new development in Irving.
The project took eight years. Unveiled on Sept. 25, 1984, the Mustangs of Las Colinas features nine bronze horses galloping through water in Williams Square Plaza, 5221 N. O’Conner Blvd.
“These horses were actually the original mustangs in America,” Glen said in 2015. “That breed, from the south of Spain in a place called [Jerez de la Frontera], was brought here by the Spanish conquistadors. So I went there to study those particular horses, the Andalusian horses.”
The mustangs draw thousands of admirers every year.
“I feel honored to share Robert’s memory and accomplishments with the many visitors who come to see the horses and explore the museum to learn of the making of the monument, the Mustangs of Las Colinas,” longtime Mustangs Museum guide Mary Higbie said in a statement.
“The mustangs are something we have incorporated into our community,” Stopfer said. “It’s our brand. It is truly our symbol of the city.”
Glen spent the past several decades living in Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park with his partner, painter and writer Sue Stolberger.
Glen was born in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 24, 1940, to Scottish parents and lived in Africa for most of his life, according to his website. He left school when he was 14 with interests in natural history and art, leading him to take an apprenticeship in taxidermy in Denver, Colo.
Returning home in 1959, he spent the next 10 years sculpting animals while continuing his taxidermy work. He created scientific collections of birds, small mammals and reptiles for various North American museums. In 1970, he took up sculpting full-time.
In its release, the city announced that a celebration of Glen’s life will be held by the museum at a later date.
