Line to Form: Richard Hunt’s Prints and Sculpture

media release:The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) is pleased to present Line to Form: Richard Hunt’s Prints and Sculpture, an in-depth exploration of Richard Hunt’s artistic legacy, spotlighting prints and sculptures created during his distinguished career. 

Museum Hours: Thursday: 12–9 PM; Friday: 12–6 PM; Saturday: 10 AM – 6 PM; Sunday: 12–6 PM. Note: The museum is closed on Thanksgiving.

Learn more: mmoca.org/RichardHunt

Line to Form: Richard Hunt’s Prints and Sculpture features a selection of Hunt’s prints and two bronze sculptures from MMoCA’s permanent collection and is on view in the Museum’s Henry Street Gallery September 5, 2024 – January 5, 2025. 

Richard Hunt is best known for his abstract metal works and large-scale public commissions, but this exhibition shows a different side of his work by featuring prints he made in the 1970s as a visiting artist at Lakeside Studio in Lakeside, Michigan. The prints, like Hunt’s sculpture, combine organic, or natural, and manmade forms. With lithographs such as Untitled, 1978, the improvisational and abstract nature of his sculptural work is manifested on paper using the language of gestural abstraction. Other artworks, such as Paper Piece I, 1978, highlight the artist's exploration of materiality, as he built paper pulp into a layered composition. Connecting the two-dimensional works in the exhibition are a pair of sculptures that echo the free-flowing abstract forms that Hunt explored throughout his career. One of these, Untitled, 1981, is notably affected by bronze disease—a corrosion caused by chlorides interacting with bronze and other copper alloys. Alongside this piece, you'll find detailed information about the causes and treatments of bronze disease. Displaying the sculpture in its current state sparks an engaging conversation about the challenges of art preservation and conservation, highlighting the efforts needed to protect and sustain Richard Hunt’s legacy within MMoCA’s permanent collection.

ABOUT RICHARD HUNT

Richard Hunt, born in Chicago on September 12, 1935, was a groundbreaking sculptor whose seven-decade career made a significant impact on American art. Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, Hunt was deeply influenced by his surroundings and early exposure to art. He studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), where he taught himself welding and quickly gained national recognition. Despite facing challenges as an African American artist, Hunt held over 150 solo exhibitions and his work is featured in more than 100 museums worldwide. He created over 160 public sculptures across 24 states and Washington, D.C., and was a pioneer in using Cor-Ten steel, bronze, and stainless steel. Notably, Hunt was the first African American visual artist to serve on the National Council on the Arts and was instrumental in several major public art projects, including monuments to Martin Luther King, Jr., and Emmett Till. Hunt's contributions to art and civil rights were widely recognized, earning him numerous awards and honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a "Richard Hunt Day" in Illinois. He passed away on December 16, 2023, leaving behind a legacy of artistic excellence and social impact.

ABOUT MMoCA

The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art is always admission-free. Its vision is to be an organization that fosters the exchange of ideas and creates experiences that will inspire a wide audience; be a nexus for the work of emerging and established regional, national, and international artists; serve as a catalyst for the continued development of a vigorous community of artists; and provide a forum that will encourage people to be challenged by, reflect on, and make connections between art and the world around them. The Museum includes four galleries and The Shop, a space to provide interactive contemporary art experiences and educational workshops to the community.

The Rooftop Sculpture Garden provides an urban oasis with an incredible view which serves as a lovely venue for weddings, art openings, and cinema. The adjacent Rooftop Lounge is used for community collaborative pop-ups, as well as a reception area for Museum events. Visit mmoca.org to learn more.