Richard Hunt (1935 - )

Richard 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.

Richard 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

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