CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 30: Artist Richard Hunt attends the dedication of his monument to journalist, educator, and civil rights leader, Ida B. Wells on June 30, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois.
Chicago sculptor Richard Hunt, the first Black artist to be granted a solo exhibition by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and whose gargantuan abstract metalwork has gained nationwide renown, has passed away at the age of 88.
Hunt's death was confirmed in an obituary released through his official website, where it was written that the sculptor "passed away peacefully on Saturday, December 16, 2023 at his home." The cause of his passing was not disclosed.
According to the release, a private funeral will be held for Hunt within Chicago, however, supporters of the late sculptor are welcome in an upcoming public celebration of his art and life, also to be held in the city. The specifics of this event including the dates are yet to be announced.
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In Remembrance of Richard Hunt's Career and Nationwide Acclaim
Hunt was born and raised in Chicago's Southside. In 1955, when the artist was 19 years old, he attended an open-casket funeral held for Emmett Till, a Black Chicagoan youth who grew up just blocks away from Hunt's home and who was a victim of a torture and lynching incident that happened in Mississipi.
According to the website, this harrowing experience was the catalyst that helped shape Hunt's artistic career and lifelong commitment to championing the Civil Rights movement. Just shortly before his passing, Hunt finished a model for a monument that honors Till and is planned to be installed at Till's childhood house.
Over the renowned Chicago sculptor's career, he has been the recipient of over 18 honorary degrees, 20 professorships and residencies, and more than 30 awards. In 1957, MoMA had given Hunt national recognition when the institution acquired his 1956 piece, "Arachne."
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 30: A ceremony to dedicate a monument to journalist, educator, and civil rights leader, Ida B. Wells is held on June 30, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois.
In addition to this, Hunt was also recognized by a variety of collecting institutions, with over 100 of his pieces being showcased in museums across the world. This includes a 1,500-pound bronze monument dubbed "Swing Low," located at Washington, DC's National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Hunt was also the first African-American artist to be appointed to a position on the National Council on the Arts, when Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th President of the US, employed him as such in 1968. Other then-leaders of the country have also expressed their respect for the artist, with one of them being previous President Barrack Obama.
In an Instagram post honoring Hunt, the then-president wrote: "Richard Hunt was an acclaimed sculptor and one of the finest artists ever to come out of Chicago," before continuing to say that he and his wife, Michelle, are "grateful" one of Hunt's works, called "Book Bird," will be gracing a new site of the Chicago Public Library at the Obama Presidential Center.
"It will be an inspiration for visitors from around the world and an enduring reminder of a remarkable man," Obama added.
