Bryan Hunt (b. 1947 in Terre Haute, IN) developed an early interest in architecture and space exploration having worked as a technical assistant at the Kennedy Space Center and later as a draftsman for a mechanical engineer. These interests and training are very apparent in his works, with their fascination with the history and construction of buildings, monuments, and flying machines. In 1968, Hunt moved to Los Angeles and studied at the Otis Art Institute. He continued to live and work in LA until 1976, part of a dynamic scene that included Allan McCollum, Lynda Benglis, Bruce Naumann, and Chris Burden.
During these years in LA, Hunt produced an extraordinary body of work. Curator Sue Scott has called 1974 the pivotal year of Hunt’s career. “In only twelve months, he created five important sculptures that moved his work in a new direction, laying a firm foundation for years of intense creativity. These five works – Empire State with Hindenburg, Nankow Pass (Wall of China), Hoover Dam, Tower of Babel, and the first of a series of airships – with their curious amalgamation of art, science, technology and philosophy were radically different from sculpture then being shown in galleries and museums”. These works were a challenge to the cult-like followers of Minimalism and Earth Art and a sophisticated and idiosyncratic response to classical and modern sculpture. Following these earliest works came a series of sculptures depicting the volumes of lakes and quarries and then the first of his signature waterfall sculptures. Christoph Brockhaus noted that Hunt “has been interested in Rodin’s surface structure, Brancusi’s dialogue between sculpture and pedestal, the geometric shapes of Constructivism, and Abstract Expressionisms gesture”.
Bryan Hunt’s most iconic bodies of works are the Airships which he developed thanks to his interest in architecture and space. These are dirigible-shaped structures are mounted directly into the wall over the viewer’s head and out of reach, giving the impression of being suspended in space. Hunt has revisited the airship shape frequently since the 1970s.
Bryan Hunt lives and work in New York City. He has exhibited in several museums and institutions including; The Institute for Art and Urban Resources, The Clocktower, New York (1974), “Young American Artists” at The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (1978), “made by sculptors” at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (1978), “Decade in Review” at the Whitney Museum of American Art (1979), and “Visionary Images” Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago (1979). His work is included in museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.