Richard Hunt (1935 - )

In 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.

Title Unknown, 2022, recent work by internationally celebrated African American sculptor Richard Hunt continues Hunt's artistic exploration from the early 1970s. Hunt’s numerous public commissions working with sculptures in large sizes showcase his significance as a public figure and his eminent role in the African American community. 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. He challenges his previous techniques in each of his larger pieces, utilizing advanced ways. As seen today, from the example of Title Unknown, his sculptures evolved around architectural style. Through its size and volume, different emotions and sensibilities are conveyed and offered to the audiences.

Provenance

The Artist

Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY

Literature

Bill Hodges Gallery, Masterworks of the African Diaspora, New York, 2023, illus. p. 21