Richard Hunt has 29 large-scale sculptures situated in the Chicago area. This is at once a local record and an obstacle for getting to know them better. The sculptor`s public discourse has been a part of the scene for so long that it never has been given the scrutiny it deserves.
”Outside In: Public Sculpture by Richard Hunt,” the exhibition of models and photographs at the Columbia College Gallery, 72 E. 11th St., is thus a happy idea. Without making odious comparisons, it presents a cross-section of the work Hunt has been doing since 1967. His great sculptures from the `50s and early `60s are not at all considered; they are, in this context, a dead issue.
We see only the development of an art conceived for specific sites and communities. Perhaps it need not be said, but in times when artists go their own way damning the public, Hunt`s drawings and successive models testify to how he approached each commission with the highest degree of seriousness. Whatever one thinks of his vocabulary, few can deny that in each instance it is exquisitely adjusted to its surroundings.
That his heroic abstract art communicates to a wide range of people is no mean achievement. What`s more, the habitual charge of repetitiveness is not borne out by the selection of the show. Included are some of Hunt`s finest pieces from around the country and I, for one, am pleased to be reminded of just how good they really are. (Through Feb. 28.)
DANIEL BRUSH (Exhibit A, 361 W. Superior St.): When Brush first exhibited here 16 months ago, his meditative paintings and drawings fairly took the breath away with the degree of their control. This was work that clearly indicated immense spiritual discipline, and one did not have to be familiar with the source of their inspiration, the Japanese Noh play, in order to be deeply and rewardingly moved.
The two new series on show are in every way as successful. Now, however, their closely ordered vertical lines all are parallel except for one (in red) that separates itself, often establishing an excruciating tension. These
”wayward” lines, no matter how small, always are activating agents, though to say that is to make Brush`s paintings and drawings seem drier than they are. No one should be put off by the reduced means. This is some of the richest work in town. (Through Feb. 28.)
ART NOTES: The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is sponsoring a lecture series on the 49th Carnegie International exhibition held late last year at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh. The International is America`s only continuing survey of contemporary art from around the world. Donald Kuspit`s talk on ”Current Spectacle” begins the series at 6 p.m. March 12 in the school`s Rubloff Auditorium, Monroe Street and Columbus Drive. Other programs, by Thomas McEvilley, are scheduled for April 9 and 17. Ticket prices are $25 for the series, $10 for individual events ($5 for students, staff and faculty). For further information, call 443-3711.
— The ARC Gallery is holding its annual benefit party beginning 6:30 p.m. March 9 at Second City Theater, 1616 N. Wells St. Tickets are $15 per person and include hors d`oeuvres and the Second City Revue, ”How Green Were My Values.” For details, call 266-7607.
