2021
Hunt Slonem has mastered the art of repetition in his exuberant Neo-Expressionist paintings. Some of his favorite subjects are bunnies, butterflies and the tropical birds that live in the private aviary nestled within his 30,000-square-foot studio complex in Brooklyn, New York.
“I believe in repetition like a holy mantra or rosary,” Slonem told Introspective, referring to his artistic method. “I am slightly influenced by Pop art, like the repetition of soup cans, postage stamps and celebrities. It’s something I have been doing my whole life.”
Slonem’s depictions of birds — which are often rendered in thick, gestural brushstrokes and arranged in a loose grid — owe to a fascination with tropical avian life that he developed during a childhood spent in Hawaii and Nicaragua. Today, along with the aviary, his studio contains a personal garden, a collection of antiques and walls and walls of artworks.
“I am a collector of things. My primary focus is color and objects. I love to make them work in a space,” Slonem says. “Sometimes I define a space with color.”
Besides birds, Slonem has painted so many bunnies that they’ve become a signature. Limned in expressive, urgent strokes on flat, vibrantly colored backgrounds, these creatures fascinate through their subtle variations. “I have painted hundreds of rabbits, but each one is different,” the artist has explained. “Each has its own personality, and it just comes through me.”
The multitalented Slonem also sculpts, makes prints, creates installations and restores historic spaces. His work has achieved cult status among collectors and is represented in the permanent collections of such esteemed institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Slonem has even made an appearance on Real Housewives of New York.
Find original Hunt Slonem paintings, prints and other art for sale on 1stDibs.
"Bayou Teche (St. Mary's)" Blue, Pink Purple & Green Contemporary Landscape
By Hunt Slonem
Located in New York, NY
WIth a passion for restoring historic houses, one of Slonem's properties is in Lousiana, where he now spends a lot of his time painting and picking up inspiration for his pallet. Thi...
Oil, Canvas
"Dream of Monet Lilly Pads" Colorful Impressionistic Oil Painting on Wood Framed
By Cindy Shaoul
Located in New York, NY
This painting depicts an impressionistic scene of Monet's home Lily Pond in Giverny, a poetic piece with beautiful details. The work reminds us of Claude Monet, with impressions capt...
Oil, Wood Panel
"Lush Landscape with Greens and Blues" Mid Century Modern Oil Painting on Canvas
By Nanno de Groot
Located in New York, NY
This piece is a wonderful Mid Century pertinent example of Nannot de Groot's works from the prime of his career with thick use of impasto oil paint, and gestural brushwork throughout. In 1957 it was a transitional year from painting figures in his New York studio to his new studio into the countryside. And in 1959 he and his wife came back to Provincetown Massachusetts and rented a small cabin that was in a field belonging to Mary Cecil Allen on the west end. It was a small space, and there was a tree that was outside the front door, he was inspired and painted this tree over and over, and soon it was the beginning of a whole new series. The brush landscape that was outside of the window of the cabin became a focal point of this series and every year it would change, picking up inspiration to depict the tree in a new way each year. This piece is signed and dated 59' by the artist upper right corner and it comes housed with the original Mid-Century wood frame with gold rim and hanging wire on verso ready to be displayed. Art measures 49.5 x 39 inches Frame measures 51.5 x 40 inches Nanno de Groot was born on March 23 of 1913, in Balkbrug, Holland. He started drawing at six years of age. Although his father prevented him to study art at an early age, he moved to the United States in the year of 1941, and in 1946 at age 33 he discovered Picasso and he dedicated the rest of his life to painting and drawing. He worked for a year as a cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle. After his marriage to the New York School artist Elise Asher...
Oil, Canvas
"Artist's Studio - Pond" Colorful Impressionist Landscape Oil Painting on Board
Located in New York, NY
A wonderful impressionist pastoral landscape with beautiful color tones throughout. Thomas deDecker has portrayed this piece in a most intimate, yet energetic way, and has packed muc...
Oil, Board
"Winter Along the Creek" Post-Impressionist Countryside Scene Oil Painting Frame
By John Reilly 1
Located in New York, NY
A joyous colorful countryside painting depicting a serene landscape, capturing a winter scene with trees, foliage, and a creek with vibrant and muted tones. The piece is done in a hi...
Oil, Board
"Along the River" 20th Century American Colorful Oil Painting of Landscape Trees
Located in New York, NY
A wonderful depiction of a colorful landscape with puffed trees by the country side. For this beautiful depiction, we find distinct elements that are unique to the earlier works of O...
Canvas, Oil
