"I have founded the Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation in hopes that what I have accomplished in my life will transcend my time on earth.
I sincerely hope that people continue to find my art useful for whatever use they have of it. And more so, I hope that my art provides a way to improve their lives and the communities where they reside."
- Richard Hunt
The Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation was established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization at the direction of its founder, Richard Hunt. The foundation welcomes support from all who appreciate the incredible contributions of one of America's most important sculptors.
Mission
The Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation advances public awareness, education, and appreciation of the life and art of American sculptor Richard Hunt.
Vision
The Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation's vision is to ensure that future generations fully appreciate the life and art of the American sculptor Richard Hunt by encouraging, inspiring, facilitating, educating, and supporting the public’s understanding of his work and his place in American and art history. In addition, the foundation aims to support the next generation of sculptors and artists.
About the Founder
Richard Hunt
As an artist and prominent American sculptor, Richard Hunt considered artistic and personal freedom paramount: "I am interested more than anything else in being a free person. To me, that means that I can make what I want to make, regardless of what anyone else thinks I should make."
At the age of 35, he became the first African American sculptor to have a retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in 1971. Hunt held over 160 solo exhibitions and is represented in more than 125 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 24 states and Washington, D.C.
Hunt was a central figure in Civil Rights-era action and commemorated many African American icons. His body of work explores themes of the African diaspora, African and Western art, mythology, and Hunt's own ancestry, especially in relation to growth, expansion, freedom, movement, and flight.
He was intimately involved in arts councils and organizations throughout his illustrious career to move the arts forward. Hunt served on dozens of boards, committees, and councils, including a six-year term on the National Council on the Arts; as the only African American juror for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial design selection; and as a Commissioner for the National Museum of American Art, part of the Smithsonian Institution. In addition, Hunt received more than 30 major awards, including the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Sculpture Center, the Fifth Star Award from the City of Chicago, and the Legends and Legacy Award from the Art Institute of Chicago.
Hunt considered his artistic legacy an important part of influencing the public's view of art through his public commissions, exhibitions, and a Richard Hunt Award for young and upcoming artists. He established the Richard Hunt Legacy Foundation to ensure his legacy and this mission continue.