Study for Richmond Cycle

Copied Richard Hunt, Study for Richmond Cycle, 1977, soldered, bolted, and burnished copper with wood edging, 19 x 60 3⁄4 x 24 3⁄4 in. (48.3 x 154.3 x 62.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, Art-in-Architecture Program, 1977.47.14, © 1977, Richard Hunt

Artwork Details

Title
Study for Richmond Cycle
Artist
Date
1977
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
19 x 60 3⁄4 x 24 3⁄4 in. (48.3 x 154.3 x 62.9 cm.)
Copyright
© 1977, Richard Hunt
Credit Line
Transfer from the General Services Administration, Art-in-Architecture Program
Mediums
Mediums Description
soldered, bolted, and burnished copper with wood edging
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
  • Study — sculpture model
  • General Services Administration — Art-in-Architecture Program
Object Number
1977.47.14
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1977.47.14

Artwork Description

Study for Richmond Cycle began life as a model for a huge plaza sculpture outside the Social Security Administration building in Richmond, California. Richmond Cycle is composed of two distinct parts that are separated spatially but united visually by virtue of shared materials and surface finish. The large biomorphic mass that seems to emerge from the ground and then arc back calls to mind a living form, an enormous tree that has fallen to the earth or a primordial animal taking its last breath. Together the elements evoke the cycle of life in which age and the weight of experience are paired with the lightness and promise of youth.


African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2012

Exhibitions

Media - 1979.159.44 - SAAM-1979.159.44_1 - 56988
Sculpture Down to Scale: Models for Public Art at Federal Buildings, 1974 – 1985
May 31, 2019–November 22, 2020
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Artists used preliminary models—or maquettes—to communicate their ideas.