Hunt Slonem American, b. 1951
Bringing a freewheeling sense of awe, wonder and detail to his wild array of paintings and sculptures and peaceful, mystical living and working spaces, NYC based artist and lifestyle trendsetter Hunt Slonem is considered one of the great colorists of his time. Slonem has had over 300 one-man shows in galleries and museums internationally. His work is also in the permanent collections of 250 museums including the Guggenheim, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney, and the Moreau Foundation, and is part of private collections all over the world, including those of many celebrities.
Bringing a freewheeling sense of awe, wonder and detail to his wild array of paintings and sculptures and peaceful, mystical living and working spaces, NYC based artist and lifestyle trendsetter Hunt Slonem is considered one of the great colorists of his time.
As vibrant a dresser and decorator as he is a painter and sculptor, the Maine born creative force of nature is well known for his neo-expressionist works of butterflies, rabbits and tropical birds, the latter often inspired by the 30 to 100 exotic feathered friends he houses at any given time in an aviary in his 30,000 square foot Manhattan studio. Slonem has had over 300 one-man shows in galleries and museums internationally. His work is also in the permanent collections of 250 museums including the Guggenheim, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney, and the Moreau Foundation, and is part of private collections all over the world, including those of many celebrities.
As a founding element of his process, Slonem likes to say, “Repetition is very important.” He starts each day painting, treating each moment as one of profound meditation and channeling of God or a higher consciousness. Included in this ritual are his famous bunny paintings – the result of a daily morning warm-up that was sparked during a late-night revelation at a Chinese restaurant: that he was born in the Year of the Rabbit. His famous Bunny Wall combines his art with his passion for collecting, as the paintings are exhibited in Victorian-era portrait frames picked up from his travels across the country.
In March 2014, Slonem published, just in time for Easter, Bunnies, a luxurious, finely designed and crafted first collection of “bunny art” – an exciting, unexpected, impressionistic mega collection for adults and children alike. A treasury filled with enchanting full-color and black-and-white paintings, Bunnies features a foreward by bestselling author John Berendt (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) and an essay by artist and gallerist Bruce Helander. Berendt beautifully captures the magical springing to life of these rabbit figures when he writes: “Every morning, upon rising - even before he's had his first cup of coffee - Hunt Slonem performs his daily warm-ups . He approaches his worktable where a stack of small rectangular panels awaits. Some of the panels are made of wood, some of masonite. In the course of the next half hour he will have populated all the panels with rabbits. These paintings are what he calls his warm-ups.”
As the son of a Navy officer, Slonem spent his childhood on military bases: growing orchids in Hawaii, collecting stamps in Louisiana, and chasing those butterflies in Nicaragua—the place that inspired him most. The tropical landscape informed not only his process, but also his need to be surrounded by the nature he paints; he often works with a bird or two perched on his shoulder. Hundreds of birds also fill the surface of one of his largest ever projects – a 6’x 86’ mural he painted for the iconic Bryant Park Grill Restaurant in NYC. His renowned sculptures include “Tocos,” an 18-foot acrylic and aluminum tower of toucans installed in Metairie, LA. A graduate in Painting and Art History from Tulane University in New Orleans, Slonem has also done large sculpture commissions of rabbits, butterflies and toucans in various spots in Southern Louisiana.
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Hunt Slonem
World of Folly 1 Dec 2024 - 31 May 2025Dawson Cole Fine Art, Palm Desert is pleased to present “Hunt Slonem: World of Folly” at the Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage. Inspired by nature and his 60 pet birds, Hunt Slonem...Read more -
Blooms and Brushstrokes
A Group Exhibition 11 Jul - 22 Sep 2024 Laguna Beach'Blooms and Brushstrokes' on view from July 11, 2024 through September 22, 2024. 326 Glenneyre Street Laguna Beach, CA (949) 497-4988 RSVP: info@dawsoncolefineart.comRead more -
Blooms and Brushstrokes: A Spring Symphony
Dawson Cole Fine Art and Grayse to Celebrate Fine Art and Fashion for Spring 14 - 22 Mar 2024 Palm DesertDawson Cole Fine Art and Grayse will celebrate fine art and fashion with a champagne reception at the Gallery on Friday, March 22, 2024 from 3:00 to 5:00 PM at...Read more -
Splash of Summer
A Group Exhibition 31 Jul - 8 Sep 2023 Laguna Beach, Palm DesertStep into a vibrant world of art that captures the essence of the season at the mesmerizing exhibition, 'Splash of Summer.' This exhilarating showcase is a celebration of all things...Read more -
Red Redefined
The Evocative Power of the Color Red 1 - 28 Feb 2022 Laguna Beach, Palm DesertDawson Cole Fine Art presents an exhibition of works by gallery artists – “Red Redefined.” The group show consists of fourteen works and includes paintings, bronze sculpture, prints, and hand-blown glass by gallery artists.Read more -
LOVE + MODERN BEAUTY
30 Jan - 15 Feb 2021 Laguna BeachDawson Cole Fine Art is pleased to present 'LOVE + MODERN BEAUTY' from January 30- February 15, 2021. There’s something to be said about the holiday’s celebration of love, and...Read more
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El Paseo Spring Lookbook
Produced by Palm Springs Life Magazine February 13, 2024 Read more -
California Homes
On the Beach Laguna October 20, 2022 Read more -
The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel + Hunt Slonem
World of Folly 2022 August 17, 2022 Read more -
Curated Coastal
Issue 4 March 22, 2022 Read more -
El Paseo
Palm Desert 2022 January 1, 2022 Read more -
Palm Springs Life
Style Guide January 2022 January 1, 2022 Read more -
Dawson Cole Fine Art Highlighted: The Best of California 2021
224 Reasons to Love the Golden State: Dawson Cole Fine Art, Laguna Beach May 19, 2021 Read more -
Local Arts
Summer 2019 October 22, 2020 Read more -
Pelican Hill Magazine
Spring 2019 September 22, 2020 Read more -
Pelican Hill Summer 2019
September 18, 2020 Read more -
Pelican Hill Fall 2018
September 18, 2020 Read more -
California Homes
Architects & Builders 2020 September 4, 2020 Read more -
Montage Spring Cover
August 18, 2020 Read more -
Study in Sustainability
May 20, 2020 Read more -
American Masters
May 5, 2020 Read more -
California Homes Magazine August 2019
Shopping for Art in Laguna Beach August 1, 2019Celebrating its 22nd year, Dawson Cole Fine Art was recently featured in California Homes Magazine's August 2019 issue as one of the 'go to' places...Read more