Jon Ott

Jon Ott is the official biographer and exhibitions advisor for Richard Hunt, and was a close friend of the artist. He is a founding board member of the Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation and chair emeritus of the International Sculpture Center. Over the past several decades, Jon has spent countless hours with Richard Hunt in his studios and on the road, traveling to see art and visit friends. For the artist's monograph, Richard Hunt, Jon interviewed Richard Hunt for more than one hundred hours, producing a comprehensive illustrated chronology of the artist’s life.

 

Jon writes and speaks on Hunt's life and art, including appearances at the Chicago History Museum, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM). Recently, he authored an essay, "Richard Hunt: Sculpting Freedom," for the ALPLM exhibition Richard Hunt: Freedom in Form, was the exhibition advisor for Richard Hunt: Early Masterworks at White Cube New York, and is currently writing for Richard Hunt: Synthesis, an exhibition catalog by the Georgia Museum of Art. Jon is featured in the documentary film, The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt’s Monument to Ida B. Wells, and is an advising producer of the forthcoming documentary, Richard Hunt: A Monumental Life.