Background
Richard J. Navin (1934–2006) was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois.
Richard J. Navin (1934–2006) was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois.
He attended college at Notre Dame and also graduated with an M.F.A in Design.
He worked out of his art studio in Long Island City creating sculptures and creating translucent pieces. He is most famous for his sculpture, the Myceanae Circle which was on display at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. He was well known for developing computer art programs to educate inner city children in Brooklyn.
At age 30 he moved from Chicago to New York City where he became a faculty member at Saint John"s University for 2 years, before moving to Brooklyn College.
At Brooklyn College he received a tenured position in the Art Department where he remained a faculty member for over 30 years. He also lived in Kuesnacht, Zurich, for many years where he studied Jungian psychology and became a proponent of the Bauhaus theory of minimalist art design.
In the 1970s Navin opened an art studio in Long Island City where he spent most of his time creating sculptures and pioneered the use of resins and lights to create translucent sculpture pieces. He is most famous for his sculpture, the Myceanae Circle which was on display at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, on the first floor along with a number of additional sculptures.
He published a book on his sculpture work which featured many photographs of the Myceanae Circle and his other pieces.
Navin also exhibited his sculptures at the Whitney Museum, United Nations and many hospitals in the Greater New York area.