George Rickey was born in South Bend, Indiana on June 6, 1907 but grew up in Helensburgh, Scotland where his father was an executive for Singer Sewing Machine.
He then returned to the United States and began teaching at the Groton School in Massachusetts, where among his many students was future National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy. After leaving Groton, Rickey worked at various schools throughout the country as part of the Carnegie Corporation's Visiting Artists/Artists in Residence program (partially funded by the WPA)
Rickey used the laws of nature, wind power and gravity for his artwork. Numerous prizes and awards followed after a stay in Berlin, supported by a DAAD scholarship, in 1968 and 1969. In 1987 George Rickey became a member of the Berlin academy of arts. During the 1990’s Rickey produced numerous mobiles from stainless steel elements as hanging or standing objects.
He also lived and worked in Berlin for a short time. In his later years, he divided his time between his home in East Chatham, N.Y., Santa Barbara, California and Saint Paul, Minnesota. He died at his home in St. Paul, Minnesota on July 17, 2002 at the age of 95.