Richard Hunt

Kwagulith Native

Fort Rupert, Canada

Vintage Print

SISIUTL & SEA

"Sisiutl is a legendary animal which can transform itself into anything, such as the sun.."

Signed by Artist

Matted/Framed

16" by 11"

Bio"Richard Hunt is a Kwaguilth Native from Fort Rupert, near the northern tip of Vancouver Island, B.C. The Hunt family has been at the centre of traditional ceremonial life and wood carving for generations. Richard's grandfather, Mungo Martin, was largely responsible for the rebirth of Northwest Coast-Indian art. Richard began carving wood at the age of 12 under the tutelage of his father, Henry Hunt, also a renowned artist. Richard worked as chief carver in Thunderbird Park at the Royal British Columbia Museum for more than a decade.

Richard Hunt is now a freelance artist. His totem poles, masks, rattles and prints are in museums and private collections throughout North America and Europe. In 1991, Richard Hunt was the recipient of the prestigious Order of British Columbia, making him the first Native artist to be so honored. In 1994, he became a member of the Order of Canada.

Today, some of Richard Hunt's highly sought after wood carvings are being cast in limited edition glass and bronze. Galleria Silecchia is honored to present these works to our collectors.

Richard Hunt was born in Alert Bay, British Columbia in 1951, but has lived most of his life in Victoria. He began carving wood with his father, the late Henry Hunt, at the age of thirteen. In 1973, Richard began work at the Royal British Columbia Museum as an apprentice carver under his father. The following year he assumed the duties of chief carver in the Thunderbird Park Carving Program. Hunt remained in the museum in that capacity for twelve years. In 1986, he resigned to begin a new career as a freelance artist. Richard Hunt comes from a family of internationally respected artists, which include his father Henry Hunt and his grandfather Mungo Martin.

In 1991, Richard Hunt received the Order of British Columbia “in recognition of serving with the greatest distinction and excellence in a field of endeavor benefitting the people of the Province of British Columbia and elsewhere.” This prestigious award program was established in 1990. Richard is the first native artist to be so recognized.

In 1994, Richard received the most prestigious award of his career, The Order of Canada. “The Order was established in 1967 as a means of recognizing outstanding achievement, honouring those who have given services to Canada, to their fellow citizens or to humanity at large.”

Richard Hunt's Indian name is highly appropriate, considering his accomplishments. Gwel-la-yo-gwe-la-gya-les means "a man that travels around the world giving." Through his art, and his dancing, Richard Hunt has indeed given much to the world.

The Kwaguilth people traditionally inhabit the Northeastern coast of Vancouver Island and are part of the Kwakiutl region, which includes parts of Vancouver Island and the central coast of the province of British Columbia on the west coast of Canada. In pre-contact days the Kwakiutl people numbered about 50,000, enjoying a sophisticated, spiritual culture that revolved around our relationship with the sea. The Kwaguilth people have traditionally inhabited an area of coastline that is poor for agriculture but rich in animal and sea life.

The artwork you see on this site originated in a tradition where it was not just decorative, but usually had ceremonial importance as well. The use of particular designs and masks, in addition to ceremonial dances, could be earned or passed on through family, what we refer to as ownership. Many of the designs featured in my artwork are owned in this way by my family. Additionally, I have family roots with the Tlingit nation on the southern panhandle of Alaska.

Richard Hunt is a prominent member of a family that has been an artistic dynasty for generations, and today is among the most celebrated of the contemporary Northwest Coast artists. His family roots and artistic style can be traced to the Kwak-waka'wakw village of Fort Rupert on the eastern shore of Vancouver Island. The eighth of fourteen children, he was born in the nearby island community of Alert Bay, although the family moved to Victoria the next year when his father agreed to assist his father-in-law, master-carver Mungo Martin, with the design and construction of the Thunderbird Park project." Gallery Silecchia

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