Chicago sculptor Richard Hunt, known for his significant contributions to public art and the civil rights movement, has died at age 88. His official website announced his death, although the cause of death was not specified.
Hunt, whose artistic career spanned seven decades, often broke barriers in his work, which primarily comprised abstract metal sculptures. In 1968, he made history as the first African-American visual artist appointed to the National Council on the Arts by President Lyndon B. Johnson, and in 1971, the artist became the first black sculptor to have a retrospective exhibition at MoMA.
Born in 1935, Hunt found his passion for sculpture in 1953 after visiting the “Sculpture of the Twentieth Century” exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago, which featured works by Pablo Picasso and Alberto Giacometti. Hunt later honed his craft at the School of Art Institute of Chicago.
Hunt was also deeply affected by the experience of attending Emmett Till’s open funeral, which the artist says influenced his career-long commitment to civil rights. Hunt recently completed preliminary work on a memorial to Till, who was also from Chicago and was lynched while visiting Mississippi in 1955.
Hunt has held more than 150 solo exhibitions and his works appear in more than 100 public museums worldwide. In addition, the artist has installed more than 160 public sculptures around the world. His career includes 18 honorary degrees, more than 20 professorships and artist residencies, and more than 30 awards, including the Guggenheim Fellowship and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Sculpture Center.
In 2022, he was commissioned to create a sculpture for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, which includes the figure of a bird taking off from the pages of a book. In a statement, former President Barack Obama said of the work: “It will be an inspiration to visitors around the world and a lasting reminder of a remarkable man.” White Cube recently announced representation of the late artist. The gallery has an upcoming solo exhibition of the artist’s work scheduled for spring 2024.
