Wing Generator

Last updated
Wing Generator
Artist Richard Hunt
Year1982-2010 (1982-2010)
Typewelded corten steel
Dimensions149.86 cm× 121.92 cm× 152.4 cm(149.86 cm× 121.92 cm× 152.4 cm)
Location University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States
Coordinates 41°42′00″N86°14′08″W / 41.699894°N 86.235563°W / 41.699894; -86.235563 Coordinates: 41°42′00″N86°14′08″W / 41.699894°N 86.235563°W / 41.699894; -86.235563
Owner University of Notre Dame, Snite Museum of Art

Wing Generator is an outdoor sculpture by the Chicago-born sculptor Richard Hunt (b. 1935). Wing Generator is located on the University of Notre Dame Campus in Notre Dame, IN, near the city of South Bend, and is owned by the Snite Museum of Art of the University of Notre Dame. The large sculpture of corroded steel incorporates an abstract wing shape formed of several smaller sculpted pieces on top of a rectangular base.

Contents

Description

Wing Generator is an outdoor sculpture featuring smaller abstract sculpted pieces implicative of industrial and biomorphic forms welded together to form a larger shape evocative of a wing. The largest piece of Wing Generator extends approximately three feet from the center of the sculpture while a smaller spade-shaped piece extends one foot from the center in the opposite direction. A distinct gear shape can be found on the lower right side of the object if one is facing the sculpture head-on. The sculpture is mounted on a large podium with a rectangular base. The base and sculpture are made out of corten steel pieces welded together, which have been artificially corroded to appear highly rusted. The sculpture measures 59 x 48 x 60’’.

Historical information

Wing Generator (1980) was originally conceived as a gravesite monument commissioned for Hunt's deceased friend Hobart Taylor, Jr. through his will. According to Hunt, Wing Generator is a hybridization of the winged sculptures of Nike, the deity of victory, found in Greco-Roman sculpture such as the famous Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the avian motifs found on the iron staffs of the Yoruba culture in Africa. Hunt owned several Yoruba staffs in his private collection of African art, the forms of which he strove to replicate in Wing Generator. Hunt has also stated that the theme of victory in the work can be extended to the Christian idea of the victory of life after death. The theme of victory was employed in the sculpture to symbolize the victories of Taylor during his career as a civic lawyer. The various sculpted forms of mechanical appearance found in Wing Generator, contributing to the Generator aspect of its title, relate to Taylor's involvement in cases surrounding General Electric, U.S. Steel, and Eastern Airlines. Hunt made a replica of the sculpture, later sold to the Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame [1].

Location history

In 2010, the Snite Museum of Art contacted Richard Hunt in order to express their interest in purchasing one of his sculptures.[2] Other works by Hunt owned by the Snite Museum of Art include Hybrid Form (1986), Untitled (1968), Standing Form #5 (1962), and Natural Form (1969).[3] The sculpture is one of five contemporary sculptures (George Rickey's Two Lines Oblique, Deborah Butterfield's Tracery, Stephen DeStaebler's Single Winged Figure on Plinth and Peter Randall-Page's Little Seed comprising the other four works) curated for the Charles B. Hayes Sculpture Park that would be completed in the late fall of 2012.[4] Wing Generator was purchased in September 2010 for $70,000.[5] Before delivering the sculpture to the Snite Museum, Hunt attached the sculpture to a large rectangular base that placed the work approximately three feet above ground in order to allow for a higher degree of air circulation through the steel pieces of the sculpture to maximize the health and longevity of the corten steel.[6] The changes to the sculpture were completed September 20 and the work was placed in the Charles B. Hayes Sculpture Park upon the park's completion.[7]

In July 2014, Wing Generator suffered severe damage from a falling tree during a thunderstorm. The proper right side of the sculpture was crushed; the metal pieces were folded over one another, the center was turned counterclockwise upon the base, and several of the welds were broken.[8] Hunt visited the University of Notre Dame to access the damage of the piece and to provide a list of materials that would be needed for its repair.[9] Wing Generator was sent to McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory in Oberlin, Ohio for repairs that were completed the following September 2015.[10] Since the return of the repaired sculpture to campus, the Snite Museum of Art has kept the work in the museum's courtyard, as opposed to the sculpture park, in order to protect Wing Generator from further damage from the current landscaping and construction taking place in the park.

Acquisition

On September 17, 2010, the University of Notre Dame purchased Wing Generator from the artist himself for $70,000.[11] This purchase price was suggested by Richard Raymond Alasko from the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) in August 2010 and was accepted by both the Hunt and the Snite Museum.[12] A smaller maquette of the sculpture by Hunt, Maquette for Wing Generator, was purchased immediately before the larger sculpture.[13] The work was part of a collection of sculpture acquired by the museum to fill the Charles B. Hayes Sculpture Park, completed in 2012 and situated on the edge of campus near the Compton Family Ice Arena and Eddy Street Commons.[14] Within the collection of the Snite Museum of Art, Wing Generator received the accession number 2010.030. Wing Generator is credited as a gift from Judith H. Kinney of St. Joseph, Michigan.[15] The current monetary value of Wing Generator is unknown the Snite Museum of Art has not conducting a reappraisal of the sculpture as of 2016.[16]

Artist

Richard Hunt is a celebrated African-American sculptor born in 1935 in Chicago, IL. He attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago were he received his B.A.E. in 1957. In 1962, Hunt was the youngest artist exhibited at the Seattle World's Fair, and in 1971, Hunt became the first African-American sculptor to receive a retrospective exhibition of his work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Hunt has received a series of 15 international fellowships and awards, 14 honorary degrees, and has completed professorships and artist residencies at 21 universities in the United States. His sculptures can be found in the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Gallery and National Museum of American Art in Washington, DC, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. [17] William S. Liberman (art critic and previous director of MoMa) declared Hunt to be, “one of America’s foremost living sculptors.”[18]

Hunt has described his work as following the sculptural movement of “direct metal” and “open form” sculpture resonating in the 1950s, these types of sculptures featuring open interiors, negative spaces within the object, and various linear planes often projecting from the center of the object. Hunt uses raw industrial materials, particularly steel, to create his sculptures. He avoids coating his works with chemical patinas so as to primacy the rough, corroded appearance of the steel. It is typical of a Hunt sculpture to show welding lines and discolorations from the forgery in order to draw the viewer's attention to his artistic process and craft. In addition to being placed in the context of Abstract Expressionism due to his use of unworked materials, Hunt as also been understood by art historians in the context of Surrealism as several of his sculptures feature an outlandish combination of industrial and biomorphic forms such as gears, wheels, and machinery pieces juxtaposed to metal forms resembling antennae, wings, and insect legs.[19]

Condition

The current condition of Wing Generator has no further structural damages as of 2016. In July 2014, Wing Generator received severe damage from a falling tree (see Location History). The sculpture was sent to McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory in Ohio where the sculpture was separated into various portions. The portions were reshaped using an oxyacetylene torch and a forge. The portions were then reassembled using Corton welding wire. The welds were chased back to match the contours of the original sculpture, and the entire sculpture was then artificially corroded in order to obtain its original orange-colored, heavily rusted surface. The price of these conservation treatments and repairs amounted to $27,432. [20]

Related Research Articles

Jim Dine American artist

Jim Dine is an American contemporary artist whose œuvre extends over sixty years. Dine’s work includes painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture and photography; his early works encompassed assemblage and happenings, while in recent years his poetry output, both in publications and readings, has increased.

George Rickey American artist

George Warren Rickey was an American kinetic sculptor.

David Smith (sculptor) American sculptor and painter

Roland David Smith was an American abstract expressionist sculptor and painter, best known for creating large steel abstract geometric sculptures.

David Hayes (sculptor)

David Vincent Hayes was an American sculptor.

Richard Hunt (sculptor)

Richard Howard Hunt is one of the most important African American sculptors of the 20th-century. Hunt holds status as one of the foremost African-American abstract sculptors and artists of public sculpture. Hunt, the descendant of slaves, was the first African American sculptor to have a major retrospective at Museum of Modern Art in 1971. Hunt has created over 150 public sculpture commissions in prominent locations in 22 states across the United States, more than any other sculptor. With a career that spans seven decades, Hunt has held over 100 solo exhibitions and is represented in more than 100 public museums. Hunt has served on the Smithsonian Institution's National Board of Directors. Hunt's abstract, modern and contemporary sculpture work is notable for its presence in exhibitions and public displays as early as the 1950s, despite social pressures for the obstruction of African-American art at the time.

<i>Cloud Gate</i> Public sculpture by Sir Anish Kapoor in Chicago, Illinois, United States

Cloud Gate is a public shiny kidney bean-shaped sculpture by Indian-born British artist Sir Anish Kapoor, that is the centerpiece of AT&T Plaza at Millennium Park in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois. The sculpture and AT&T Plaza are located on top of Park Grill, between the Chase Promenade and McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink. Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed "the Bean" because of its bean shape, a name Kapoor initially disliked, but later grew fond of. Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior is smooth and has no visible seams. It measures 33 by 66 by 42 feet, and weighs 110 short tons.

Lyman Kipp

Lyman Emmet Kipp, Jr. was a sculptor and painter who created pieces that are composed of strong vertical and horizontal objects and were often painted in bold primary colors recalling arrangements by De Stijl Constructivists. Kipp is an important figure in the development of the Primary Structure style which came to prominence in the mid-1960s.

Welded sculpture

Welded sculpture is an art form in which sculpture is made using welding techniques.

Snite Museum of Art

The Snite Museum of Art is the fine art museum on the University of Notre Dame campus, near South Bend, Indiana. With about 30,000 works of art that span cultures, eras, and media, the Snite Museum's permanent collection serves as a rich resource for audiences on campus and beyond. Through programs, lectures, workshops, and exhibitions, the museum supports faculty teaching and research and provides valuable cultural opportunities for students and visitors. Students play an active role in programming in their capacities as gallery guides and as student advisory members.

<i>Mothers Helper</i> (Chalfant)

Mother's Helper is a public sculpture by American artist Derek Chalfant located on the Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus near downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The piece is located in a small alcove near the ramp to the west entrance of the Joseph T. Taylor Hall at 815 W. Michigan Street.

<i>Spirit Keeper</i>

Spirit Keeper, a public sculpture by American artist Steve Wooldridge, is located on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus, which is near downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The sculpture is located in front of IUPUI's HITS building near the Creation Café at 337 West 11th Street. Spirit Keeper is a steel sculpture installed here in 2007. It is 78 inches tall and sits on a metal base 40 inches square, which is bolted to a cement slab.

<i>Temple VI</i>

Temple VI, a public sculpture by American artist Austin Collins, is located on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus, which is near downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The piece is on an indefinite loan from the artist to Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and is located outside of the east entrance to Lecture Hall, a building on IUPUI's campus. Lecture Hall, nicknamed LE on campus maps, is located at 325 University Boulevard in Indianapolis, Indiana in the United States. The sculpture was created in 1996.

<i>Orange Curves</i>

Orange Curves, a public sculpture by American artist Brent Gann, is located on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus, which is near downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Orange Curves is an abstract metal sculpture consisting of three steel curves that have been welded together at angles creating a three-dimensional composition. The entire sculpture has been painted orange. It is located on the north side of the lecture hall which is located at 325 University Blvd.

<i>Source</i> (1/3)

Source is a public artwork by US artist Tony Smith, located in the Cleveland Museum of Art Donna and Stewart Kohl Sculpture Garden, which is in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The sculpture is fabricated from steel and painted black. It is constructed from two separate pieces that are bolted together.

<i>Playground</i> (3/3)

Playground is a public artwork by American artist Tony Smith, located at Beverly Gardens Park in Beverly Hills, California. It is a welded steel sculpture surfaced with black paint. The sculpture was conceived in 1962 and cast in 2003. Situated on the edge of Beverly Gardens Park and visible from the street, this sculpture is mounted on an approximately 4” tall concrete platform. It measures 5’ 4” height x 10’ 8” width x 5’ 4” depth.

Tomas Lasansky

Tomás Lasansky is an American artist. He lives in Iowa City, Iowa. His work relates to the Native American culture of the south-western United States. He is the son of Mauricio Lasansky.

<i>Chaplain Corby of Gettysburg</i>

Chaplain Corby of Gettysburg is an outdoor sculpture by American artist Samuel Murray (1869–1941). It is located on the University of Notre Dame campus, and is owned by the University. The sculpture, made of bronze and limestone, depicts Father William Corby giving absolution to soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg.

<i>Christ and the Samaritan Woman</i>

Christ and the Samaritan Woman is an outdoor sculpture by Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović. Created in 1957, the sculpture resides in front of O’Shaughnessy Hall on the campus of the University of Notre Dame as part of the Shaheen-Mestrovic Memorial, which was completed in 1985 by the Department of Landscape Architecture and Planning in the South Bend office of Cole Associates. The marble and bronze sculpture depicts the events in John 4, in which Jesus converses and evangelizes to a woman from Samaria, with whom the Jews would not normally associate. Eli J. Shaheen, a Notre Dame alum, was the donor for the project, which is owned by the university. The “Woman at the Well,” as it is often referred, is flanked by sculptures of the gospel writers Luke the Evangelist and John the Evangelist.

St. Luke is an outdoor sculpture by Croatian artist Ivan Meštrović. It is located on the courtyard in front of O’Shaughnessy Hall on the University of Notre Dame campus, which is in South bend, Indiana, and is owned by the University of Notre Dame.

Douglas Abdell is an American sculptor, living and working in Málaga, Spain.

References