Inspired by nature and his 60 pet birds, Hunt Slonem is renowned for his distinct neo-expressionist style. A painter, sculptor and printmaker, he is best known for his series of bunnies, butterflies and tropical birds, as well as his large-scale sculptures and restorations of forgotten historic homes.
In an “overflowing exhibition,” Slonem’s work will fill the National Arts Club’s four gallery spaces this month in a sprawling exhibit entitled “All That Dazzles,” on view from April 12 through May 6.
Included in the exhibition, curated by Lilly Wei, are unique interior furnishings, multimedia sculptures, paintings and more.
The exhibition is free and open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The NAC is located in the former Samuel Tilden Mansion at 15 Gramercy Park South.
Additional exhibition details can be found at nationalartsclub.org/exhibitions.
This exhibition is presented in partnership with DTR Modern Galleries.
Slonem’s works can be found in the permanent collections of 250 museums around the world, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Miro Foundation and the New Orleans Museum of Art.
Since his first solo show at the Fischbach Gallery in 1977, Slonem’s work has been showcased internationally hundreds of times, most recently at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art and the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. In 2017 and 2018, he was featured by the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the National Gallery in Bulgaria, and in countless galleries across the United States, Germany and Dubai.
His flair and admiration for far-flung destinations has been a staple of his life since childhood. Slonem was born in 1951 in Kittery, Maine, and his father’s position as a Navy officer meant the family moved often during Hunt’s formative years, including extended stays in Hawaii, California and Connecticut. He continued to seek out travel opportunities throughout his young-adult years, studying abroad in Nicaragua and Mexico; these eye-opening experiences imbued him with an appreciation for tropical landscapes that would influence his unique style.
Slonem’s most ambitious project has been his mission to save America’s often-forgotten historic buildings. Realizing too many of the country’s architectural gems have fallen into disrepair, Slonem has found himself drawn to these national landmarks, inspired by the depth of their age and old-world beauty. Among his accomplishments are the restorations of Cordt’s Mansion in Kingston, New York; the Lakeside and Albania mansions of Louisiana; and the Scranton Armory and Charles Sumner Woolworth’s mansion in Scranton, Pennsylvania. His sixth and latest endeavor is Belle Terre, a storied property in South Kortright, New York.
Numerous books and monographs have chronicled Slonem’s art, including “Bunnies” (Glitterari Inc., 2014), “Birds” (Glitterati Inc., 2017) and “Hunt Slonem: An Art Rich and Strange” (Harry N. Abrams, 2002). His studios and homes have been profiled in such books as “When Art Meets Design” (Assouline Publishing, 2014) and “Pleasure Palaces: The Art and Homes of Hunt Slonem” (powerHouse Books, 2007), among others.
For more information on the artist, visit huntslonem.com.
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