Richard Hunt
American artist and sculptor
Died when: 88 years 95 days (1059 months)Star Sign: Virgo
Richard Howard Hunt (born September 12, 1935) was a sculptor.In the second half of the 20th century, he became "the foremost African-American abstract sculptor and artist of public sculpture." Hunt, the descendant of enslaved people brought through the port of Savannah from West Africa, studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the 1950s, and while there received multiple prizes for his work.
He was the first African American sculptor to have a retrospective at Museum of Modern Art in 1971.Hunt has created over 160 public sculpture commissions in prominent locations in 24 states across the United States, more than any other sculptor.
With a career that spans seven decades, Hunt has held over 150 solo exhibitions and is represented in more than 100 public museums across the world.
Hunt has served on the Smithsonian Institution's National Board of Directors.Hunt's abstract, modern and contemporary sculpture work is notable for its presence in exhibitions and public displays as early as the 1950s, despite social pressures for the obstruction of African-American art at the time.
Barack Obama said "Richard Hunt is one of the greatest artists Chicago has ever produced."
