Norman Lewis & Richard Hunt by Bill Hodges Gallery

Norman Lewis & R2 7i c ha J U LY - 2r 5 Ad U G UH S Tu 2 0n 23 t 7 SEPTEMBER - 18 NOVEMBER 2023 Bill Hodges Gallery

ges Gallery B i lBli l lH H ooddg es Gallery

Norman

Lewis

& Richard

Hunt

Richard Hunt (1935 - 2023) Inside and Outside the Frame, 2006-2020 Cast and Welded Bronze 77 x 36 ¼ x 30 ½ in. (195.6 x 92.1 x 77.5 cm)

In honor of the exceptional contributions Norman Lewis (1909 – 1979) and Richard Hunt (1935 – 2023) have made to their respective genres, Bill Hodges Gallery is proud to present an exhibition of historic works by these seminal artists. Norman Lewis & Richard Hunt celebrates two major artists of the 20th and 21st century, distinguished for their fluency in abstraction. Placing in dialogue twentytwo works, a portrait of abstract art emerges; one that has been indelibly shaped by the brilliance of Black artists. Showcasing the inventive quality of modern and contemporary art, this exhibition urges viewers to consider the unique position Black artists have occupied within the development of abstraction. With Hunt’s agile, insightful sculptures of welded metals and Lewis’ titanic canvases of vivid color; this exhibition traverses a lively topography of artistic expression; rendered through the visual language of shape, form, color and line.

Norman Lewis (1909 - 1979) Ighia Galini, ca. 1970 Oil on Canvas 54 ⅝ x 78 in.(138.7 x 198.1 cm)

Back Cover: Norman Lewis (1909 - 1979) “2” Awakening, 1969 Oil on Canvas 71 ¼ x 50 ¼ in. (180 x 127 cm)

Norman Lewis (1909 - 1979)

orn to Bermudian parents in Harlem, New York in 1909, Norman Lewis was interested in the arts from a young age, studying drawing and commercial design in high school. In Harlem, Lewis was surrounded by opportunities for artistic inspiration. Lewis recounted one such instance in an interview: in his early years as an artist, he spent time observing Augusta Savage in his studio and watching him create art, which offered him tremendous support in confirming his passion for art without receiving any lessons on physical techniques. Lewis went on to study at the Teacher’s College at Columbia University from 1933 to 1935. While in school, Lewis continued to engage socially by joining the 306 Group. Through both education and social events, Lewis met many artists, writers, collectors, and social activists in both Harlem and downtown. Co-founded by Charles Alston, the 306 Group is a community institution for exchanging ideas between social activists and artists. Workers from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) art project were introduced to the 306 groups to exchange ideas on the issues and struggles of black artists, pushing the progress of black people’s involvement in the WPA. With the help of his contemporaries at 306 Group, Lewis became a founding member of the Harlem Artists’ Guild in 1935. A year later he became a teacher at the Harlem Community Arts Center through the WPA. While teaching in the 1930’s Lewis’ style was a social realist marked with influences of Cubism, African sculpture, jazz, and New Negro as coined by Alain Locke.

itle Unknown, dated 1945, emphasizes the Cubist and abstract influences Lewis was beginning to experiment with in his own practice. Employing bright red, pink, orange, green, and blue, Lewis transitioned the colors from right to left with black linear curves generating gestures A captivating work of art, Lewis composed the painting when he was transitioning from social realism to abstraction. While this work remains untitled, it is visually similar to those inspired by jazz music and street scenes, calling on his distinct practice of subtly referencing the outside world in his work. In this painting, the rhythm and flow of jazz are articulated through rich colors, expressive brushwork, and organic forms fit into a thick, lattice-like structural outline.

Provenance Norman Lewis Estate, New York, NY Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Exhibition History Norman Lewis: Small Paintings & Drawings, 12 September – 15 November 2014 Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Artists of the WPA, 16 April – 6 June 2015, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Norman Lewis: Canvas, 12 November 2015 – 13 February 2016 Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Selections From the Hamptons Virtual Art Fair, 3 September – 17 October 2020 Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Bearden & Company, 27 February – 11 April 2020 Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Figuratively Speaking, 2 March – 22 April 2023 Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Literature Bill Hodges Gallery, Norman W. Lewis, et al., New York, NY, 2017, illus. p. 27 Bill Hodges Gallery, Masterworks of the African Diaspora, New York, 2023, illus. p. 30

Lewis

Title Unknown, 1945 Oil on Canvas 29 ¼ x 16 in. (74.3 x 40.6 cm)

Signed and Dated, Lower Center: Norman Lewis-45

Lewis

Norman Lewis (1909 - 1979)

In the 1940s, after the renowned government program Worker's Progress Administration (WPA) concluded, Norman Lewis taught at the George Washington Carver School in Harlem alongside Elizabeth Catlett and Charles White. During this time, Lewis' style evolved gradually from figurative towards abstraction, characterized by his stylized use of calligraphic lines and loose representations. With this shift, his works began to receive public recognition: Lewis had his one-person debut in 1949 at Willard Gallery; his works were included in the 1951 MoMA exhibition titled Abstract Painting and Sculpture in America; and he won the Popularity Prize at the 1955 Carnegie International Exhibition. In adition, Lewis remained socially engaged with other artists of his generation. He attended Studio 35 meetings, organized by Mark Rothko, Robert Motherwell, and William Baziotes, alongside Ad Reinhardt, Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning, and Alfred Barr. However, he was not often properly recognized for his contributions as a Black artist due to his abstract style.

Norman Lewis’ Unextinguishable Being (1942), a painting on burlap, invites an array of elements, forms and abstractions into dialogue. The texture of the burlap is a notable accent to the work’s composition, creating a muted haze foudnation upon which thin lines gesture towards activity. At the center of the work lies a orange circle, a pinpoint surrounded by blues and gray; just as a dying star finds a home within a cloud of nebulae. The title, speaks to this spirit of resilience, that just as one being passes on, the matter of which it is made remains alive, unextinguishable. Flexks of yellow and mauve are distant interjections amidst the sepia work, offering staccato interlude to the contemplative nature of this work.

Provenance Private Collection Bill Hodges Gallery, NY Exhibition History Norman Lewis: Small Paintings & Drawings, 12 September – 15 November 2014 Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Selections From the Hamptons Virtual Art Fair, 3 September – 17 October 2020 Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Canvas, 12 November 2015 – 5 June 2004, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Literature Bill Hodges Gallery, Norman Lewis: A Painter’s Odyssey 1935 - 1979, New York, 2009, illus. p. 63

Lewis

Unextinguishable Being, 1952 Oil on Burlap 19 x 24 in (48.3 x 61 cm)

Lewis

Norman Lewis (1909 - 1979)

In the 1940s, after the renowned government program Worker's Progress Administration (WPA) concluded, Norman Lewis taught at the George Washington Carver School in Harlem alongside Elizabeth Catlett and Charles White. During this time, Lewis' style evolved gradually from figurative towards abstraction, characterized by his stylized use of calligraphic lines and loose representations. With this shift, his works began to receive public recognition: Lewis had his oneperson debut in 1949 at Willard Gallery; his works were included in the 1951 MoMA exhibition titled Abstract Painting and Sculpture in America; and he won the Popularity Prize at the 1955 Carnegie International Exhibition. In adition, Lewis remained socially engaged with other artists of his generation. He attended Studio 35 meetings, organized by Mark Rothko, Robert Motherwell, and William Baziotes, alongside Ad Reinhardt, Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning, and Alfred Barr. However, he was not often properly recognized for his contributions as a Black artist due to his abstract style.

oors is a work that is unique in Lewis’ oeuvre for its definite depiction of architectural space, and the immersiveness of this space, which occupies the entire canvas. Vibrant, heavy blues and reds catch the eye with a dreamlike gravity. Placement of lights and darks at times appears arbitrary, but in other areas suggests threedimensional space – shadows behind door frames obscuring the space beyond; even what could be seen as light hitting architectural features. More than existing as an actual portrayal of architecture, Doors imparts the feel of architecture: one can discern door frames, baseboards, floorboards, and window frames, but it is difficult to tell whether this is an interior or exterior space. Flat expanses of color are the only thing visible through the windows – an almost jarring reminder of the two-dimensionality of the space we are looking at – and in this way the loose suggestion of space ultimately forces us to confront its actual flatness. The tension that Lewis depicts between two and three dimensions can lend itself to a reading of Doors as suggestive of dreams or memory. Colors are blended on the canvas and meld into one another. In some areas the floors seem to reflect the colors on the walls, and in others the door and window frames seem to shine, reflecting a light whose source is unclear. Doors appears like a memory of a space from long ago, inviting us to let our own memories and associations lead us in perceiving the space it depicts.

Provenance Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Exhibition History Norman Lewis: Small Paintings & Drawings, 12 September – 15 November 2014 Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY

Lewis

Doors, 1945 Oil on Canvas 27 x 32 in. (68.6 x 81.3 cm)

Lewis

Norman Lewis (1909 - 1979)

ight Vision is an earlier work that nonetheless demonstrates a throughline to Lewis’ later works. Here he primarily uses fleshy, earthy tones, giving this work a feeling of the organic and the intimate, and connoting fertility. A multitude of shapes with softened edges lend themselves to the dynamism of this canvas. In addition, repetitive mark making in black draws the eye, connotes motion, and recalls the appearance of writing, mirroring Lewis’ signature on the bottom right. Lighter hues on the top half of the canvas and darker ones on the bottom may suggest a horizon, but the intimacy of these colors undermines the very suggestion of a landscape. The dynamic, exciting nature of this scene is muted by its softness and natural color palette. It may be that this is a depiction of some kind of celebratory event, though obscured by distance or low visibility. The many layers of color make the canvas seem to glow, and it imparts the feeling of contentment of perceiving far-off excitement.

Provenance Private Collection of Tarin Fuller Bill Hodges Gallery, NY Literature Bill Hodges Gallery, Norman Lewis: A Painter’s Odyssey 1935 - 1979, New York, 2009, illus. p. 60

Lewis

Night Vision, 1952 Oil on Linen 24 x 40 in. (61 x 101.6 cm) Signed and Dated, Lower Right: NORMAN LEWIS-52. Titled on the stretcher, Reverse: NIGHT VISION

Lewis

Richard Hunt (1935 - 2023)

ichard Hunt, born in 1935, grew up in the south side of Chicago, immersed in the art world

through classes at the Middle School Program (MSP) at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). During his formative artistic years, he worked with clay and carvings. He had a makeshift studio in his bedroom until he built a studio in the basement of his father’s barbershop. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in art education from the Art Institute of Chicago, Hunt received a fellowship grant from the Art Institute to travel around Europe and further his studies. The experience of touring England, Spain, France, and Italy solidified his interest in the medium of welded and cast steel, aluminum, copper, and bronze. Hunt has been known to experiment with metals found in junkyards and with old car parts, which he deconstructs to shape abstract, organic, forms that reference surrealist representations of nature, animals, and humans. The sculpture is monolithic and enclosed; the form is solid and dense, with airy notes offered by the changes and the curves. Working out of a sprawling trolley train station turned professional studio, Hunt has produced a body of work that distinguishes him as the most prolific site-specific artist in the world. Hunt received numerous fellowships, including the Guggenheim fellow. By 1969, he was the first African American sculptor to be honored with a retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

ichard Hunt's sculptures are renowned for their fine balance of delicate, outstretched scions, often welded to a dense, angular base. Many of Hunt's works contain parts derived from automobiles and assorted industrial elements; which imbue his compositions with a blend of organic and mechanical references; comprising triumphant shapes in space, finished with premier welding. Hunt's attention to fine art, material and texture is exemplified in Winged Hybrid (1973), a phenomenal work of sculptural genius assembled from automobile parts and welded into a luminous, curving silhouette. Produced fifty years ago, this museum-caliber work is a profound example of Hunt's insightful craftsmanship. From the smooth shine of light glinting off the edge of steel to the captivating gradation of color on chrome, Hunt's brilliance with regard to compositional balance with wrought metals remains unparalleled. Luminous from all angles, Winged Hybrid is a profound instance of sculptural virtuosity.

Provenance Estate of Mason Adams Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Literature

Bill Hodges Gallery, Masterworks of the African Diaspora, New York, 2023, illus. p. 17

Hunt

Winged Hybrid, 1973 Welded Chrome 28 x 16 x 12 ½ in. (71.1 x 40.6 x 31.8 cm) Signed and Dated: R. Hunt 73

Hunt

Norman Lewis (1909 - 1979)

“

I used just black - to convey the form,” Lewis noted, “and I liked that and I went on to try to do other things.” Later on, his Black paintings represented one of the most significant, if overlooked, sequences in modern US art history. In his own words, Lewis “wanted to see if I could get out of black the suggestion of other nuances of color, using it in such a way as to arouse other colors...This was my becoming...using color in such a way that it could become other things.” Similarly, Lewis’ black paintings evoke form from an interplay of black and hints of other colors, creating a series of relationships from an extraordinarily limited palette. From a single color, Lewis evoked others. From those other colors, he evoked relationships among forms. And from those relationships, Lewis believed, he produced meaning. This approach is never more striking than in the works that resulted from Lewis’s 1973 stay on the island of Crete, where Lewis and his wife stayed with fellow artist Jack Whitten and his wife, Mary Whitten. Painting predominantly in black, Lewis evokes storms, landscapes, and the seaside near the village of Agia Galini, where he stayed. His Cretan drawings remain some of the most distinctive and evocative natural studies that later committed to canvas.

orman Lewis’ Ighia Galini is a striking example of the artist’s playful fluency in color and line. A proud swath of royal cobalt blue pops out from an obsidian background. Thin, graceful lines leap across the canvas. Small circles rest near the vibrant color streak, tying together the components of this work with rhythmic cohesion. From the subtle intricacies of the composition’s cadence to the expansive, nearly abyssal feeling evoked by the sable background, this painting is a fascinating visual articulation of the wonderful complexity of the organic.

Provenance Perry Rubenstein Gallery, New York Private Collection Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Exhibiton History Norman Lewis: Shades of Blackness, 18 November 2021 – 29 January 2022, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Literature Bill Hodges Gallery, Norman Lewis: A Painter’s Odyssey 1935 - 1979, New York, 2009, illus. p. 58 Bill Hodges Gallery, Norman Lewis: Shades of Blackness, New York, 2021, illus. p. 13

Lewis

Ighia Galini, ca. 1970 Oil on Canvas 54 ⅝ x 78 in. (138.7 x 198.1 cm)

Lewis

Richard Hunt (1935 - 2023)

n 1967, Richard Hunt received a commission for his first public sculpture, Play, and in 1971, he was the first African American sculptor to have a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. Hunt established his studio center in Benton Harbor, Michigan in 2006, where artists of all disciplines could work, attend workshops, learn, and teach in the community. Today, Hunt has over 125 commissioned public sculptures in the United States, many of which are in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Hunt’s work can be seen at numerous museums, including The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois; and the National Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C.

ut Growth Hybrid, 2022, recent work by internationally celebrated African American sculptor Richard Hunt continues Hunt's artistic exploration from the early 1970s. With a strong interest in metal sculptures, Hunt became his adventure in both the creative language and technical possibilities. Observing organic and machine structures' formation and spatial content, he combined his modern urban life with African American experiences, deconstructed a coherent narrative within one single object, rearranged pieces and symbols from various sources, and reconstructed them into new construction. Through Hunt’s sculpture, one is able to revisit his personal experiences. Hunt wanted to treat his materials in increasingly broad terms; therefore, his sculptures began to increase in size after success in the technical development of compounding parts into a single formation.

Provenance The Artist Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Exhibition History Masterworks of the African Diaspora, 13 July – 16 July 2023, Hamptons Fine Art Fair, Southamptons, NY Literature Bill Hodges Gallery, Masterworks of the African Diaspora, New York, 2023, illus. p. 21

Hunt

Out Growth Hybrid, 2022 Welded Stainless Steel 93 x 60 x 30 in. (236.2 x 152.4 x 76.2 cm) Signed and Dated: R. Hunt 2022

Hunt

Norman Lewis (1909 - 1979)

ne of the few heroically-scaled works Lewis composed in his lifetime; Exodus is a vibrantly dynamic, eye-catching example of the artist's ability to balance abstraction, storytelling, rhythm, and repetition. Like a congregation united in motion, the abstracted figures in Exodus seem to buzz in harmony; with electric yellows activated against a hazy, charcoal grey background. Notice the silhouettes of a crowd, whose stomping, abstracted feet and painted gestures towards wide-open eyes energize the rhythm of this composition. Norman Lewis, a pioneer of Abstract Expressionist art, is known for his artistic agility across mediums and dimension. At the onset of his career, his work was largely characterized as influenced by social realism. Like his contemporaries, Lewis saw art as an opportunity to directly engage with civil rights discourse of the time. However, as early as 1945, Lewis’ aesthetic became increasingly abstract, though his proclivity towards referencing dynamics facing the Black community never waned; evidenced in the organizing spirit at the forefront of Exodus. Although he passed away in 1979, Lewis’ life’s work is only now beginning to receive proper recognition, celebrated for its lively, dynamic, and facile handling of space, color, and history.

Provenance The Artist The Artist’s Wife, Ouida B. Lewis, New York, NY Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Exhibition History Norman Lewis: Black Pantings 1946-1977, 1 April – 20 September 1998, The Studio Museum, Harlem, NY Norman Lewis: Black Pantings 1946-1977, 26 March – 27 June 1999, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT Norman Lewis: Black Pantings 1946-1977, (Start Date Unknown) – 3 October 1999, The Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH Master Paintings: from 1943 - 1977, 15 May – 5 June 2004, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis, 13 November 2015 – 3 April 2016, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis, 4 June – 21 August 2016, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, TX Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis, 17 September 2016 – 8 January 2017, Chicago Cultural Center, Exhibit Hall, Chicago, IL Selections from the Hamptons Virtual Art Fair, 3 September – 17 October 2020, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Norman Lewis: Shades of Blackness, 18 November 2021 – 29 January 2022, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY On the Wall, 22 September – 15 October 2022, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY BLOCKBUSTER, 27 October – 14 January 2023, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Literature The Studio Museum In Harlem, Norman Lewis: Black Pantings 1946-1977, New York, 1998, Plate 22, illus. p. 84 Bill Hodges Gallery, 25 Highly Important Paintings by Norman Lewis, New York, 1998, illus. p. 50 Bill Hodges Gallery, Norman Lewis: A Painter's Odyssey 1935 - 1979, New York, 2009, illus. p. 19 Ruth Fine et al., Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis, Univ. of California Press, 2015, Plate 49, illus. p. 96 Bill Hodges Gallery, Norman W. Lewis, et al., New York, 2017, illus. p. 7 Bill Hodges Gallery, Norman Lewis: Shades of Blackness, New York, 2021, illus. p. 11 Bill Hodges Gallery, Masterworks of the African Diaspora, New York, 2023, illus. p. 9

Lewis

Exodus, 1972 Oil on Canvas 72 x 88 ½ in. (182.9 x 224.8 cm) Signed and Dated, Lower Right: Norman Lewis 72 Stamped, Reverse, Upper Right: ‘THIS PAINTING IS A GIFT TO MY WIFE OUIDA B. LEWIS,’ ‘ Title Exodus, Size 72 x 87 ½, Norman Lewis, 3-20-72, Witness David K. Baker.’

Lewis

Norman Lewis (1909 - 1979)

erpentine (1970), a vibrant canvas of Lewis’ later period, is an energetic composition of crimson hues abuzz against polygonal tiles of cobalt blue. These tiles appear to puzzle into the winding shape of a serpent creature; whose active angles break the blue fields with decisive motion. At the time of the work's production, Lewis was publicly recognized by art critics as an Abstract Expressionist. His works received public recognition: Lewis had a one-person debut in 1949 at Willard Gallery; his works were included in the 1951 MoMA exhibition titled Abstract Painting and Sculpture in America; and he won the Popularity Prize at the 1955 Carnegie International Exhibition. In adition, Lewis remained socially engaged with other artists of his generation. He attended Studio 35 meetings, organized by Mark Rothko, Robert Motherwell, and William Baziotes, alongside Ad Reinhardt, Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning, and Alfred Barr. However, he was not often properly recognized for his contributions as a Black artist due to his abstract style. This painting from Lewis’s later career was produced following the creation of Cinque Gallery, which was cofounded by Lewis along with two other artists—Romare Bearden and Ernest Crichlow. With the aim of supporting young art students and offering a platform and space for them to show their works, Lewis dedicated his time to empowering younger generations of artists. In Serpentine, after gazing beyond the lines and dots, the composition of each elemental form invites the viewers to reimagine the arrangement; wherein the crowds of gathered people could represent each shape. In this respect, Serpentine is representative of Lewis’ determination to build communities that assemble individuals into groups for support.

Provenance The Artist Norman Lewis Estate, New York, NY Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Exhibiton History: Norman Lewis: Canvas, 12 November 2015 – 13 February 2016, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Selections from the Collection, 15 April – 29 May 2021, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Literature Bill Hodges Gallery, 25 Highly Important Paintings by Norman Lewis, New York, 1998, illus. p. 40 Bill Hodges Gallery, Norman Lewis: A Painter's Odyssey 1935 - 1979, New York, 2009, illus. p. 33 Bill Hodges Gallery, Norman W. Lewis, et al., New York, 2017, illus. p. 17 Bill Hodges Gallery, Masterworks of the African Diaspora, New York, 2023, illus. p. 11

Lewis

Serpentine, 1970-71 Oil on Canvas 60 x 48 in. (152.4 x 121.9 cm)

Signed and Dated, Lower Right: NORMAN LEWIS 70 Signed, Dated, Inscribed, and Titled on Reverse: Norman Lewis 70/71 \ 60 x 48 \ SERPENTINE

Lewis

Norman Lewis (1909 - 1979)

orman Lewis’ New World Acoming’ is a titanic work of compositional brilliance. A crowd of figures, abstracted in geometric frenzy, gather in processional unity under the crimson glow of a ruby-red sun. Enveloped in a burnt-umber haze, the dark silhouette of the congregation is accented by a bright, white glow that seems to emanate from within the crowd. A highly significant work from Lewis’ series of Civil Rights paintings, New World Acoming’ stands alone as a contemplative yet masterfully balanced exploration into rhythm and shadow in a large scale work. Norman Lewis, a pioneer of Abstract Expressionist art, is known for his artistic agility across mediums and dimension. At the onset of his career, his work was largely characterized as influenced by social realism. Like his contemporaries, Lewis saw art as an opportunity to directly engage with civil rights discourse of the time. However, as the 1970s progressed and Lewis’ aesthetic became increasingly abstract, his proclivity towards referencing dynamics facing the Black community never waned, evidenced in the organizing spirit at the forefront of New World Acoming’.

Provenance Artist Estate Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Exhibiton History Master Paintings: from 1943 - 1977, 15 May – 5 June 2004, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis, 13 November 2015 – 3 April 2016, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis, 4 June – 21 August 2016, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, TX Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis, 17 September 2016 – 8 January 2017, Chicago Cultural Center, Exhibit Hall, Chicago, IL Literature Ruth Fine et al., Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis, Univ. of California Press, 2015, Plate 49, illus. p. 96

Lewis

New World Acoming’, 1971 Oil on Canvas 73 x 87 in. (185.4 x 221 cm) Stamped, Reverse, Upper Center: “THIS PAINTING IS A GIFT TO MY WIFE OUIDA B. LEWIS,” ‘New World Acoming’ 72 x 87, Norman Lewis, 7-21-79, Witness David K. Baker.’ Signed and Titled, Reverse, Upper Center: ’71- New World Acoming’’

Lewis

Richard Hunt (1935 - 2023)

ichard Hunt’s bronze sculpture is a triumphant vision of exceptional welding technique. Stately in size, the work’s pointed and twisting curvilinear form reaches skyward, allowing light to gently glimmer against its burnished exterior. Hunt’s sculptural style has been characterized by a transcendent ability to “draw in space,” blending a surrealist sensibility with found metallic materials. While his works are considered abstract, the contours and silhouette of his welded forms are profoundly inspired by biomorphic forms found in nature. Winged Growth is no exception; with outgrowths that spring vertically as if in the midst of welded flight.

Provenance The Artist Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Exhibiton History Masters of Sculpture, 12 May – 31 August 2022, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY On the Wall, 22 September – 15 October 2022, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Literature Bill Hodges Gallery, Masters of Sculpture, African Americans, et. al., New York, NY, 2022, illus. pp. 50-51

Hunt

Winged Growth, 2021 Welded Bronze 85 x 36 x 35 in. (215.9 x 91.4 x 88.9 cm)

Signed and Dated, Lower Right: R Hunt 21

Hunt

Norman Lewis (1909 - 1979)

substantive meditation on the illustrative properties of a single color, Awakening, 1969 by Norman Lewis, displays his abstract approach and the depiction of dramatic occurrences. The background of this expansive canvas displays a striking tangerine tone, whose depth is accented with notes of clementine silhouettes. With the misty haze of an early morning sunrise, a core of ivory yellow bursts from the center of the composition, anchoring the work with contemplative balance. White paint is applied in layers at the painting’s center, expanding horizontally on top of one another, resembling ocean waves. The brighter oranges, when viewed more extensively over the full painting’s surface, create various geometric forms that are frequently seen in other Lewis’s paintings, signifying human bodies depicting actions and motions.

Provenance Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Exhibition History Black Aliveness, 27 July – 25 August 2023, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY

Lewis

Awakening, 1969 Oil on Canvas 79 ¼ x 59 ¼ in. (201.3 x 150.5 cm)

Lewis

Norman Lewis (1909 - 1979)

ewis’ “2” Awakening offers a motif also found in his Awakening canvas, also featured in this exhibition. This work, of a deeper orangey tone, features a cluster of horizontal paint strokes, a blend of cream and tangerine tones of thick oil swaths. An anchor and answer to Lewis’ painting Awakening, this canvas invites viewers to consider that which resides above and below our eyelines, just as a sun sets below the horizon, the burst of light on this canvas lingers before ducking out of view.

Provenance Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Exhibition History Canvas, 12 November 2015 – 5 June 2004, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY

Lewis

“2” Awakening, 1969 Oil on Canvas 71 ¼ x 50 ¼ in. (180 x 127 cm)

Lewis

Richard Hunt (1935 - 2023)

ichard Hunt’s untitled bronze sculpture is a work of delicate welding and compositional brilliance. From the natural surfacing of the textured bronze to the striking silhouette of angular and sinuous forms, this work crystalizes Hunt’s aesthetic interest in blending geometric shapes with organic references. From a dense polygonal base, sprouts a pair of abstract outgrowths, whose lanceolate and spired limbs, like branches, curve – as if ossified in gentle rhythm.

Provenance Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Exhibition History Masters of Sculpture, 12 May – 31 August 2022, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Literature Bill Hodges Gallery, Masterworks of the African Diaspora, New York, 2023, illus. p. 45

Hunt

Inside Out, 1987 - 1988 Cast and Welded Bronze 13 ⅜ x 10 ⅞ x 10 ¾ in. (34 x 27.6 x 27.3 cm)

Signed and Numbered on the Back: R. Hunt A/P

Hunt

Norman Lewis (1909 - 1979)

ames, painted in 1965 by Norman Lewis, presents a captivating oil artwork that captures a gathering of abstract figures encircling against a backdrop of deep blue. Within this composition, the figures comprise not only individuals but also animals and assorted creatures, and their forms are distilled into geometric elegance. Jaunty silhouettes of varying size, form, hue, and species congregate in a circle; anchoring the composition with a dynamic sense of motion. A panoply of moody figures gather in cohort, casting cobalt shadows against the canvas’ soft royal background. In the center, two bird-like creatures prod competitively towards a meal they cannot share. Facial and bodily characteristics are selectively accentuated or omitted, resulting in a unique harmony. Amidst these figures emerges a poised man donning a blue hat and suit, his demeanor serene as he indulges in a contemplative cigarette. Adjacently, a white figure—perhaps a dog—exudes jubilant emotion, its laughter symbolically echoed through its open mouth. A deliberate luminance adorns the painting’s center, ingeniously drawing our gaze toward the heart of the scene, while each figure’s presence casts graceful shadows. Delving into the artwork, the figures’ physical structures evoke a profound kinship with the symbols, letters, and motifs found in African art. Remarkably, African artistic influences stand as a linchpin in Lewis’s creative evolution, gifting him not only cultural insights but also novel perspectives on the essence of artistic expression.

Provenance Artist Estate Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Exhibition History Master Paintings: from 1943 - 1977 15 May – 5 June 2004, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Black Aliveness 27 July - 25 August 2023, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY

Lewis

Games, 1965 Oil on Canvas 61 x 36 in. (156.8 x 91.4 cm)

Signed and Dated, Reverse: “Norman Lewis Nov. 1965”

Lewis

Norman Lewis (1909 - 1979)

orman Lewis’ Figures (Folks Like Us) is a compelling aesthetic blend of the artist’s abstracted and figural style. Characteristic of Lewis’ exploration of line and space when depicting figures in the midst of encounter, this work features four individuals, rendered with round edges, swirling lines tracing the curves of their faces and bodies.With varying shades of citron, lavender, mauve, and sepia, the silhouettes of the characters depicted fit together as a sinuous unit. All donning hats and various accessories, this party of four appear dressed to be seen. Additionally, the title is suggestive of a sense of community and accessibility; that these folks not only share commonalities with each other, but represent a broader mutual respect that Lewis sought to convey throughout his historic career

Provenance Private Collection, New York, NY Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Exhibition History Master Paintings: from 1943 - 1977 15 May – 5 June 2004, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Canvas, 12 November 2015 – 5 June 2004, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Literature Bill Hodges Gallery, Masterworks of the African Diaspora, New York, 2023, illus. p. 13

Lewis

Figures (Folks Like Us), 1944 Oil on Burlap 30 × 26 in. (76.2 × 66.0 cm) Signed and Dated, Lower Center: Norman Lewis – Oct 24 1944

Lewis

Richard Hunt (1935 - 2023)

ichard Hunt’s bronze is a fine example of the artist’s signature style of blending biomorphic silhouettes with geometric, gently-wrought, metallic shapes. Balanced atop a triangular base is a winged form, whose slightly scalloped edges frame the work like fish fins or angel’s wings; contrasting the industrial structure of the sculpture’s foundation. The strong verticality and general upward thrust of the work suggest a profound sense of yearning and exaltation. Wings and images of flight are a core motif fround throughout Hunt’s work, and this transcendent bronze is no exception.

Hunt

Hybrid Figure #10, 1986 Cast and Welded Bronze 21 ¼ x 7 x 10 ¼ in. (54 x 17.8 x 26 cm) Signed and Dated on the Back: R Hunt 86

Hunt

Richard Hunt (1935 - 2023)

ichard Hunt’s color lithograph, Over Wisdom Bridge (1987) is a conceptual example of the artist’s appreciation of form, line, and compositional balance. Notably, Hunt created a steel sculpture titled, Wisdom Bridge (1990) for the Fulton Public Library in Atlanta, GA. This lithograph is a striking visualization of Hunt’s process when designing a sculptural work. Bold orange and yellow hues ignite shapes outlined in brown and black with exuberant energy, conveying Hunt’s thematic interest in natural versus mechanic in this vibrant work on paper. This lithograph is the singular work on paper by Hunt included in this exhibition, and provides insight on the compositional exploration inherent to Hunt’s practice of abstraction across discipline.

Provenance Property of a Chicago Collector Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Exhibition History Selections for the Collection, 15 April – 29 May 2021, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Decades of Acquisitions: Works on Paper from the Collection, 24 February – 23 April 2022, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY

Hunt

Over Wisdom Bridge, 1987 Color Lithograph on Paper Ed. of 75 46 ½ x 30 in. (118.1 x 76.2 cm)

Hunt

Richard Hunt (1935 - 2023)

his bronze sculpture is a model for Flight Forms, a public artwork measuring thirtyfive feet high in welded stainless steel was commissioned for Chicago’s Midway Airport completed in 2001 by Richard Hunt. Hybridism has long been used to describe Hunt’s melding of disparate elements with the theme of metamorphosis. Model for Flight Forms is a prime example of how Hunt combines his interest in ancient styles with European and American modernism and African metalwork in a wing-like form that symbolizes the theme of flight. This maquette unites a variety of forms in an upwardsweeping composition that suggests the defiance of gravity, dynamism, and the wonder of flight. The form of this work became more abstract, expressive, and muscular in comparison to its large-scale original, and it can be appreciated as an independent work of art.

Provenance The Artist Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY

Exhibition History Masters of Sculpture, 12 May – 31 August 2022, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Literature Bill Hodges Gallery, Masters of Sculpture, African American Artists, et. al. New York, NY, 2022, illus. p. 48 Bill Hodges Gallery, Masterworks of the African Diaspora, New York, 2023, illus. p. 9

Hunt

Model for Flight Forms, 2003 Cast and Welded Bronze 17 ⅛ x 11 ¾ x 13 ⅞ in. (43.5 x 29.8 x 35.2 cm) Signed on the Back: R Hunt, Numbered on Side: AP 05

Hunt

Richard Hunt (1935 - 2023)

ichard Hunt has indicated: “In some works, it is my intention to develop the kind of forms Nature might create if only heat and steel were available to her.” This sensibility is made manifest in this large-scale sculpture, Inside and Outside the Frame, a highlight of the present exhibition. Hunt, a Chicago-based artist, is celebrated for his facile handling of abstracted form and figuration, with unique silhouettes that bend and capture light from all angles of viewing. His sculptures are lauded for their fine balance of delicate, outstretched scions, often welded to a dense, angular base. This cast and welded bronze work, pictured to the right, showcases Hunt’s keen eye for combining recognizable shapes with otherworldly abstracted forms. Emerging from a rectangular window-like frame base is a stretching, soaring, winged form with various knobbed branches and protruding limbs. The form is perched atop the sculpture’s highest point, though rooted by the tail to the confines of its steel base. Both a critical aspect of the rectangular frame’s adornment, yet existing outside of its borders, the abstracted avian creature exists in paradox, as the title suggests, Inside and Outside the Frame. At over six feet tall, it stands as a notable example of the artist’s adroit sense of gravity and levity in his work.

Provenance The Artist Chicago Art Institute Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Exhibiton History Art in the Garden, 28 February 2014 – January 2015. San Antonio Botanical Garden, San Antonio, CA Richard Hunt: Scholar’s Rock or Stone of Hope or Love of Bronze 17 September - 16 November 2020 & 11 February - 20 September 2021. Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL Masters of Sculpture, 12 May – 31 August 2022, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY BLOCKBUSTER, 27 October 2022 – 14 January 2023, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Literature Bill Hodges Gallery, Masters of Sculpture, African Americans, et. al., New York, NY, 2022, illus. pp. 54-55

Hunt

Inside and Outside the Frame, 2006-2020 Cast and Welded Bronze 77 x 36 ¼ x 30 ½ in. (195.6 x 92.1 x 77.5 cm)

Hunt

Norman Lewis (1909 - 1979)

his untitled canvas by Norman Lewis is a vibrant, energetic instance of the artist’s exploration with warm color palletes. This composition is abuzz with vertical forms whose jigsaw elements create a sense of geometric dynamism on canvas. Though undated, the work remains consistant with Lewis’ aesthetic interest in depicted congregated abstract figuration, imbuing each shape and silhoette with a sense of urgency and liveliness. Though bursting with color, the original tone of the canvas is left visibile in certain sections, creating an “undone” quality within the painting that allows viewers to appreciate the artist’s hand in applying paint to canvas.

Provenance The Artist Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY

Lewis

Untitled, ca. 1961 Oil on Canvas 34 ½ x 17 ¾ in. (87.6 x 45.1 cm)

Lewis

Norman Lewis (1909 - 1979)

ewis’ geometric layered canvas, though untitled, is a remarkable instance of the artist’s ability to render shapes in space as congruent forms. Rounded jigsaw elements coalesce into the shape of a polygonal crown, whose curvilinear edges find its frame within a vivid, aquamarine background. The tonal palette of the foregrounded shape, mahogany, chestnut, and cream, lies muted in contrast to the vibrant blues of the surrounding canvas. Throughout the work, thin, scratch-like mark making denotes a series of rectangular shapes ontop of the composition; adding dimension to the work’s sense of rhythm. Faint pencil marks are left visible, allowing the viewer to appreciate Lewis’ process as he developed this dynamic work.

Provenance Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Exhibition History African American Master Artists 6 March – 26 April 2008, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Small, 12 May – 2 June 2012, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY Norman Lewis: Small Paintings & Drawings, 12 September – 15 November 2014, Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY

Lewis

Untitled, ca. 1944 Oil on Canvas 12 x 20 in. (30.5 x 50.8 cm) Signed Under Stretcher

Lewis