RICHARD HUNT. WHY?.

• ARTIST.

  Richard Hunt
  (American, b. 1935)

• Title.

  Why?

• DATE.

  1974

• Materials.

  Bronze

• Dimensions.

  86 in. (218.44 cm)

• Map.

  Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden at UCLA

COMMISSIONED ARTWORK TO ASK WHY?

Find a tall bronze sculpture that is placed atop a white stone base. The contrast between the shiny, dark bronze form and the white, matte base is emphasized by the straight lines of the square base with the upward-flowing, rounded forms of the bronze. Three branches, arms, antlers, or flames undulate and seem to grow upward from the bronze core. At 7 feet, 2 inches tall (2.13 meters, 5.08 cm), this abstract sculpture is presented in an elevated position as if it is on a stage set, framed by the walls and overhang of the building behind and surrounded by nature. Textures are everywhere in the setting, with the ivy ground cover, the nearby bushes, the bark of the tall pine trees, the stone walls of the building, and the materials of the sculpture.

SAMUEL H. NERLOVE.

Richard Hunt, a revered American artist, living and working in Chicago, was commissioned to create this sculpture in memory of Samuel H. Nerlove, a professor of economics. Because of Nerlove’s tendency to question things, Hunt titled the piece Why?. There are 3 casts of Why?, 2 on Chicago university campuses where Nerlove lived and taught, and the 3rd in the UCLA Sculpture Garden, where he was an esteemed faculty member.

SPARK A CONVERSATION.

• Can you find the shape of a question mark in the bronze sculpture?

• How does the sculpture's title relate to the shape of the bronze piece?

• Does the sculpture remind you of something found in nature? If so, what?