Hunt Slonem

Hunt Slonem, born in 1951 in Kittery, Maine, is a neo-expressionist artist best known for his series of bunnies, butterflies, and tropical birds. After graduating with a degree in painting and art history from Tulane University in New Orleans, Slonem spent the early 1970’s living in Manhattan. After fully immersing himself in his work in 1975 at Janet Fish’s studio, Slonem began exhibiting around New York, throwing himself into the contemporary arts scene.

Slonem studied abroad in Nicaragua and Mexico, and was imbued with an appreciation for tropical landscapes. Taking influence from these experiences, Slonem currently uses nature, travel, and his 60 pet birds as inspiration for his unique art style. He creates exotic forms with expressive and highly textural brushstrokes that are full of intense color. Whether the canvas consists of a single figure of a bunny or a pattern of butterflies, the viewer is confronted with the simplistic beauty of the animal.

Slonem’s works can be found in the permanent collections of around 250 museums around the world, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Whitney, the Miro Foundation, the New Orleans Museum of Art, and many more.