Hunt Slonem
American, b. 1951
Artist and collector Hunt Slonem is best known for huge Neo-Expressionist oil paintings populated with rows of birds, bunnies, and butterflies, which he renders in thick, lavishly colored brushstrokes. Taking his cues from Andy Warhol’s Pop art seriality, the artist uses repetition as a form of creative meditation which unlocks subconscious sentiment. The son of a naval officer, Slonem honed his craft at Tulane University in New Orleans and, later, at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, where he was exposed to artists including Alice Neel and Alex Katz. Today, his work sells for five figures on the secondary market and can be found in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Bahrain National Museum, and the Guilin Art Museum, among other institutions. Slonem also paints portraits, particularly of Abraham Lincoln, and creates prints and sculptures.
Artist statement
Hunt Slonem (born Hunt Slonim; July 18, 1951) is an American painter, sculptor, and printmaker. He is best known for his Neo-Expressionist paintings of butterflies, bunnies, and his tropical birds, often based on a personal aviary in which he has been keeping from 30 to over 100 live birds of various species. Slonem's works are included in many important museum collections all over the world; he exhibits regularly at both public and private venues, and he has received numerous honors and awards.
