Richard Hunt (1935–2023) was a paragon artist of the twentieth century. He was recognized as a singular talent while still a young artist, was in the artistic vanguard of his generation, and is unparalleled in public sculpture commissions in the United States.

Born on Chicago’s South Side, Hunt made the city his artistic home, a perch from which he interpreted histories and myths with the materials that built the modern urban metropolis: steel, bronze, and aluminum. His metal sculptures distinguished his seven-decade art career by expressing themes of growth, freedom, and the interplay between industrial and organic forms. Despite challenges for African American artists during his lifetime, Hunt held over 160 solo exhibitions and is represented in more than 100 public museums across the globe. Hunt made the largest contribution to public art in the United States, with more than 160 public sculpture commissions gracing prominent locations in twenty-four states and Washington, DC.

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