Born in Chicago’s South Side, Richard Hunt is best known for public art commissions combining organic and industrial subject matter and materials. Works such as The Firebird reflect a pervasive interest in developing hybrid figures derived from anthropomorphic, zoomorphic or plant-based forms. Yet, Hunt’s highly expressive works often suggest agitated emotions without specific representational reference. A highly skilled metalworker and welder, the artist has stated that it has been his intention over the years to “develop the kinds of forms nature might create if only heat and steel were available to her.” Inspired by the Spanish sculptor Julio González, in 1971 Hunt became the first African-American sculptor to have a have a major solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The recipient of a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, Hunt trained at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and served abroad in the U.S. Army.