Hunt Slonem
HYACINTH HABITAT, 2013
Oil on canvas
49 1/4 x 49 1/4 in
125.1 x 125.1 cm
Available at Surovek Gallery
Hunt Slonem (b.1951) was born in Kittery, Maine. His father was a Naval officer and was stationed in Hawaii, California and other places where Slonem was able to experience striking natural settings and landscapes that impacted his style. He studied in Nicaragua and Mexico, graduated with a degree in painting and art history from Tulane University in New Orleans and, in the 1970s, settled in New York.
Though surrounded by skyscrapers, Slonem has continued to paint exotic birds, butterflies and bunnies. Hyacinth Habitat, 2013, a recent acquisition at Surovek Gallery, reflects his joyful, tropical style. His designs have led to commissions for public murals and he has collaborated with designers to create home decor and fashion using his works.
Besides painting, Slonem has saved and restored several historic landmark homes in New York, Louisiana and Pennsylvania.
Slonem’s works are currently on view at the Grenning Gallery in Sag Harbor and Hagen Fine Art and Design in Newport, Rhode Island. He has upcoming shows at Galerie Schimming in Hamburg, Germany, Samuel Owens Fine Art in Greenwich, Connecticut and New River Fine Art in Fort Lauderdale.
His paintings can be found in the permanent collections of more than 250 museums around the world, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Whitney, the Miro Foundation, the Boca Raton Museum of Art, the Florida International University Art Museum in Miami and the New Orleans Museum of Art.
Hunt Slonem lives and works in his Brooklyn studio…along with his 60 birds.
Joan Miró’s (1893-1983) parents wanted him to have a practical career, so they enrolled him in the School of Commerce in Barcelona. He worked as a clerk for a while, had a nervous breakdown and decided to focus on pursuing a career as an artist…which worked out well.
Recently, a small painting, Pintura, done by Miró around 1927, and donated to the Fundació Joan Miró, was in bad shape and in need of restoration. When it was examined under x-ray, a realistic portrait of a woman was seen under the thick layers of Miró’s paint. After some research, it was discovered that Miró had painted over a traditionally done portrait of his mother.
Miró’s style was anything but traditional. “Never, never do I set to work on a canvas in the state it comes in from the shop.” he said. “I provoke accidents - a form, a splotch of color. Any accident is good enough. I let the material decide. Then I prepare a ground by, for example, wiping my brushes on the canvas. Letting fall some drops of turpentine on it would do just as well. If I want to make a drawing I crumple the sheet of paper or I wet it; the flowing water traces a line and this line may suggest what is to come next.”
A similar portrait of Miró’s mother was found at his studio on the island of Mallorca. It was done by artist Cristòfol Montserrat. Both Pintura and the portrait are currently on exhibit at Fundació Joan Miró.
Please contact us if you would like more information about the works of Hunt Slonem or Joan Miró available at Surovek Gallery.
References:
Richard Whiddington. A Hidden Portrait Was Just Found Under This Miró Painting—And It’s Deeply Personal. Artnet. April 9, 2025.
