Pioneering Experimentation
"It is my intention to develop the kind of forms Nature might create if only heat and steel were available to her."
- Richard Hunt
Soldering, Welding, and Assemblage
Throughout his career, Hunt became a master of innovation, drawing inspiration from the world around him as he explored an array of soldering, welding, and casting techniques. In his youth, he honed a unique approach to soldering iron wire, later progressing to welding discarded metal in the confines of his parents’ basement. His artistic journey was significantly influenced by the works of Julio González, and in the summer of 1955, with determination and resourcefulness, he taught himself to weld. This was made possible through the sale of his soldered wire sculptures and drawings at various art fairs, providing him with the funds needed to acquire essential welding equipment.
Hunt’s resourcefulness did not stop there; he began to gather scrap metal from local alleyways and scrapyards, meticulously selecting pieces such as table and chair legs, chromed automobile bumpers, and various non-ferrous materials like copper and aluminum, all of which became vital components in his artistic process. He briefly experimented with the interplay between wood and metal, but ultimately gravitated toward metal, captivated by its tensile strength. Inspired by the works of González and David Smith, this material bestowed upon him the ability to create iconic "drawing-in-space" sculptures, allowing him to fully express his improvisational methods in this durable medium.
Hunt salvaging materials at the scrapyard then located at North Clybourn and Sheffield Avenues, Chicago, 1962.
Richard Hunt in his Cleveland Avenue studio, 1962.
"One of the most innovative artists of the 20th century."
- Naomi Beckwith, deputy director and chief curator,
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Casting, Steel, and the Love of Bronze
As his career advanced, Hunt expanded his repertoire to include the casting of bronze and aluminum, utilizing skills he had acquired from his 1957 European travels and time spent working at the Marinelli Foundry in Florence, Italy. Furthermore, upon the purchase of his West Lill Avenue studio in Chicago in 1971, Hunt invited John Henry, a fellow Chicago sculptor, to join him in establishing a foundry at the new studio, enabling the creation of significantly larger cast works.
Hunt was inspired to pursue working with Cor-Ten steel after witnessing the grand unveiling of the 50-foot-tall Cor-Ten steel Chicago Picasso sculpture in downtown Chicago in 1967. In the wake of the Picasso unveiling, the architect Walter Netsch of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill commissioned Hunt’s first major large-scale work and first work in Cor-Ten steel, Play (1969), for John J. Madden Mental Health Center in Maywood, Illinois. Play was too large to produce in his own studio, so Hunt worked with a metal fabrication shop. The collaboration set the stage for his method of producing large-scale pieces throughout his career.
By the dawn of the 21st century, Hunt predominantly worked with bronze and stainless steel, solidifying his legacy as a versatile and pioneering figure in the art world. His monumental work entitled Scholar’s Rock or Stone of Hope or Love of Bronze (2014-2020) is a masterpiece of Hunt's practice in welded bronze.
Richard Hunt grinding a weld seam on Play (1969), Chicago, ca. 1969.
Scholar’s Rock or Stone of Hope or Love of Bronze (2014-2020), on exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago, 2020–21.