Large Planar Hybrid 1973-74

A native Chicagoan, Richard Hunt's career has spanned 5 decades. His stature among American sculptors has been recognized by numerous awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, inclusion in the Lincoln Academy, the highest civilian honor that the State of Illinois confers, and honorary degrees from twelve colleges and universities, including GSU. He earned his BAE degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1957.

Hunt's interest in Spanish artists Julio Gonzalez and Pablo Picasso, along with American Abstract Expressionist sculptor David Smith, is reflected in his approach to making sculpture in which he displays a mastery of direct metal, open-form welding. He has always had an interest in creating art of a public nature, working with metals as varied as Cor-Ten and stainless steels, brass, and bronze to create his permanent, insistently contemporary works.

Large Planar Hybrid was exhibited in 1974 as one of a pair of works in the Grant Park exhibition Sculpture in the Park. Its companion piece, Outgrown Pyramid II, is part of the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park collection and can be found at the east entrance to the campus.

Large Planar Hybrid reflects Hunt's unique vision and mature style. He has combined aspects of biomorphic and geometric abstraction. He employs bird-like forms in reference to mythological themes (such as Icarus, the title of Charles Ginnever’s sculpture at the north entrance to the campus), the individual freedom which birds represent, and their resonance with the African-American experience.  The viewer’s understanding of this richly rewarding work unfolds over time as position, light, and seasons shift.