Chief Tony Hunt was a Canadian First Nations artist. He was born in 1942 in the Kwakwaka’wakw community of Alert Bay, British Columbia. Through his maternal line, Hunt was a hereditary chief of the Kwakwaka’wakw, a First Nations people group based in the North Pacific Coast region of North America.
From a young age, Hunt was trained in woodcarving with his maternal grandfather, Chief Mungo Martin who was also a major contributor to Kwakwaka’wakw art. Martin’s work is also represented in the Royal Collection (RCIN 698833).

Following the death of his grandfather in 1962, Hunt became assistant carver to his father, Chief Henry Hunt. Together, they worked on restoring and preserving Indigenous artwork at the Royal British Columbia Museum, Thunderbird Park. Thunderbird Park displays totem poles from the museum’s collection and over several years the three generations replaced the originals with replica versions; they were assisted by Tony’s brother, Richard Hunt who later became chief carver.

Hunt is noted for his KwaGiulth style paintings and totem poles; he designed nearly 100 full-scale totem poles, more than any First Nations artist, which he carved from single cedar logs.

This work depicts a formline orca (killer whale) painted in red and black with mouth open revealing sharp teeth, against a pale blue background. Formline art is a design style in the indigenous art of the Northwest Coast of North America, notable for its use of shapes and flowing, curvilinear lines outlining the subject.

A screen-print work of his depicting a formline raven, can also be found in the Royal Collection. (RCIN 506762).

In 2012 he was awarded the Order of British Columbia (OBC).