The Music of the Baroque Honoree 2023: RICHARD HUNT
Richard Hunt (1935-2023) was one of the most important sculptors this nation has produced. His prolific art career spanned nearly seven decades. Hunt’s metal sculpture is notable for its widespread presence in museum collections and many public monuments installed across the United States. Despite challenges for African-American artists during his lifetime, Hunt held over 150 solo exhibitions and is represented in more than 100 public museums across the globe.
Hunt created major monuments and sculptures for some of our country’s greatest heroes, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Mary McLeod Bethune, Jesse Owens, Hobart Taylor, Jr., and Ida B. Wells. Hunt considered artistic freedom the most important aspect of his career, saying, “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.” That artistic freedom was recognized and celebrated by the many institutions from which he received 18 honorary degrees and held over 20 professorships and artist residencies at institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Northwestern, the School of the Art Institute, and the University of Illinois.
Richard Hunt was a longtime attendee of Music of the Baroque concerts, hosted multiple concerts at his private studio, and served a lengthy term on the Music of the Baroque Advisory Board. The organization commissioned Hunt to create the Music of the Baroque Award, "Baroque Bow," in 2023.
Interview with Music of the Baroque Honoree Richard Hunt
Music Director Dame Jane Glover visited Richard Hunt at his Lill Avenue studio in 2023 to talk about the creation of “Baroque Bow”, the Music of the Baroque Award, his lifelong love of music, and his support for our organization from the very beginning.