One of America's best known sculptors, di Suvero began working in the 1960s to fabricate works of found lumber, rope, cable and tires combined in delicate balance with steel beams. By the mid-1970s, when Motu Viget was created, he had shifted to more reductive sculpture, using fewer elements and placing greater emphasis on steel constructions that incorporated moving parts which could be rocked, pushed or sat upon. Motu Viget is derived from Grand Rapids City motto, Motu Viget, which means "strength through activity".

Born in Shanghai, China to a naval attache for the Italian government, di Suvero emigrated with his family to the United States in 1941. He studied at San Francisco City College and the University of California, Berkeley where he was inspired by the sculpture on the campuses he attended. Although he stills considers California his home, he has maintained a studio in New York since 1960. While preparing for his first solo exhibition in New York that same year, he suffered a near fatal accident that left him confined to a wheel chair for nearly two years. Despite a pessimistic prognosis, di Suvero, through sheer determination, regained his ability to walk. During his recovery, his work took on an even greater monumentality.