This abstract painting features the historic Flying Red Horse sign in Dallas. The landmark Pegasus sign sits atop the Magnolia Hotel building in downtown Dallas. The artist photographed the famous neon sign and mounted his image on a custom-made wood cradled panel. He then applied layers of vibrant translucent colors mixed with metallic silver and gold to create this unique abstract painting. He then finished the surface of the painting with a high gloss resin finish.
The Flying Red Horse painting is an original mixed media painting on panel by Austin Allen James. The artist signature and date are on the reverse. The painting has a back-beveled designed profile that is 2.38″ deep. This gives the painting the appearance of floating of the wall when hung. The sides are painted off white, allowing the painting to be displayed unframed.
The Magnolia’s History
Built in 1922 in the Beaux-Arts style, the building was the headquarters for the Magnolia Petroleum Company. In 1934 the company installed the red Pegasus sign outlined in neon on top of the building. When Magnolia Oil became Mobil Oil, the Flying Red Horse became the oil companies primary logo. The Magnolia building was the tallest building in the state of Texas for many years. At night, this red glowing neon sign could be seen for many miles, welcoming visitors to Dallas. The building is a Dallas Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1997, the Magnolia building was converted from office space into a luxury hotel. Now known as the Magnolia Hotel, they still have the iconic Pegasus on top of the building, although not the original sign.
The Pegasus that originally sat atop the Magnolia Oil building was removed for repairs and restoration. in 1999. After completion, the Flying Red Horse was permanently installed in front of the Omni Hotel at the Dallas Convention Center. Its bright red neon glows all night and is now a well known photo and Instagram spot in downtown Dallas.
ARTIST: Austin Allen James
PERIOD: 2020
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States
MATERIALS: Mixed media with clear resin finish on wood cradled panel with back-beveled edge.
FRAME: No frame necessary.
CONDITION: Very nice original condition.
ARTWORK SIZE
HEIGHT: 30 in. (76 cm)
WIDTH: 30 in. (761 cm)
DEPTH: 2.38 in. (6 cm)
