This is the Year of the Rabbit, a symbol of longevity, peace and prosperity in Chinese culture. The Rabbit has brought all of those things to artist Hunt Slonem, who paints rabbits on canvas, wood, wallpaper, upholstery and almost any surface that will take a design.
The same goes for the Parrot in Slonem’s life; he lives with about sixty parrots, which belonged to an ex who left them behind when they broke up.
Slonem received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Painting and Art History from Tulane University in New Orleans. During the lockdown, in 2020, Tulane University’s School of Social Work visited Slonem at his Brooklyn studio for Self-Care Inspiration, a program the university started to help people cope in difficult times.
Slonem surrounds himself with, not just his own work and parrots, but plants and unique collectables, as well. In a 2018 article in Elle Decor, Slonem said that some of the things he can’t live without are: Cattleya Orchids, Gothic Revival Scent Bottles and, of course, Parrots.
His large studio is able to accommodate the birds and a garden, consisting of plants in beautiful and unusual planters.
Being stuck at home, especially a spectacular one like Slonem’s, can actually be an advantage for an artist, whose work often requires time alone, undisturbed.
This Year of the Rabbit is a busy one for Slonem, with solo exhibits in more than a dozen venues around the U.S. as well as shows in Frankfurt, London and Madrid.
Hunt 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 in New York City, the Whitney, the Miro Foundation and the New Orleans Museum of Art.
