2024
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.
Untitled
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Denver, CO
A rabbit outlined in pigmented blue oil paint is the subject of this painting by Hunt Slonem. This work comes framed in an artist-selected vintage style example, adding character and...
Canvas, Oil
Untitled (0673)
By Hunt Slonem
Located in New York, NY
This whimsical and sophisticated painting was realized by the esteemed contemporary painter, Hunt Slonem in 2016. It presents a stylized rabbit in profile, rendered with loose and ex...
Canvas, Oil
Landon
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Wood, Oil
Nick
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Denver, CO
This example of Hunt Slonem's most well-known motif comes complete with a lovely golden frame sourced by Hunt himself. Slonem's artistic trajectory has always been characterized by ...
Wood, Oil
Rhapsody
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Wood, Oil, Acrylic
Joy
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Hunt Slonem, American, included in 250+ museum collections Unique oil on wood painting, artist's antique frame, signed and dated verso Inspired by nature and his 60 pet birds, Hunt...
Oil, Wood Panel
Whitney
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Wood, Oil
Landon
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Wood, Oil
Darcy
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Wood, Oil
Tom & Jane
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Wood, Oil
