Page 22 - LIN DEC WEB

An Exhibition of Art for Children
ASK THE

artsperts www.harmonmeek.com

by Kristine Meek and Juliana Meek 599 NINTH STREET NORTH SUITE 309 | NAPLES, FL 34102 | 239.261.2637

Dear Artsperts, and form across a highly textural canvas. He is perhaps one of the

My grandkids are in town for winter break, and I would like to few artists in history to have been exhibited, within his lifetime, in
take them to see some art while they are here. They are in elementary solo exhibitions at museums and galleries on every continent, except
school and preschool. Do you have any suggestions on where they Antarctica. This is, however, his first solo exhibition at a children’s
could experience some art that’s age appropriate for them? museum.
Sincerely, While his collectors include sultans, sheiks, United States
Art Seeking Gigi presidents, pop stars, actors, and athletes, his works can be found in
hundreds of museums all over the world. Slonem paintings are in
the permanent collection of museums ranging from the Metropolitan
Dear Gigi, Museum of Art in New York City to the Metropolitan Museum of
Art in Manila, Philippines. The Golisano Children’s Museum of
You and your grandchildren are in luck! This winter our own
Naples has two works by Slonem in their permanent collection. The
children’s museum: Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples
Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the largest children’s museum
(C’MON) has a special solo exhibition of paintings and sculpture by
in the United States, purchased 110 paintings of cockatoos, toucans,
world-famous artist, Hunt Slonem. Hunt Slonem’s Zoo is the title
rabbits, tigers, and luna moths by Hunt Slonem for their museum
of the exhibition, which has been curated by William Meek and his
collection.
daughter, Juliana.
Slonem’s animal paintings delight and inspire viewers of all ages
Hunt Slonem (born 1951, Kittery, Maine) is an American artist
through his repetition of objects, his highly textured use of oil paints
best known for his “maximalist” neo-expressionist paintings of wildlife
and his bold colors. His lifelong love of painting animals has included
—most famously birds, rabbits and butterflies. Drawing inspiration
everything from ocelots and monkeys to birds and butterflies. Hunt
from the spiritual and natural worlds, Slonem repeats these motifs
Slonem draws on personal experiences from the world around him
on an epic scale in an act of visual and artistic mantra. Rendered
to inspire his paintings. Since his youth, insects including moths have
through loose, gestural brushwork, his figures dissolve into rhythmic
fascinated him. Slonem lives with dozens of rescued and discarded
patterns at the edges of abstraction, creating symphonies of color, line
exotic birds such as parrots, cockatoos and parakeets. He also has
turtles living in ponds at his studio.
Hunt Slonem’s Zoo at C’MON is designed for you to talk with
your child about his or her thoughts on a work of art. Ask your
children to pick their favorite and least favorite work in the exhibition.
Let them know it’s okay not to like a work of art and ask children
to explain why they like or don’t like the work. On the Bunny Wall,
you’ll find individual portraits of rabbits that are a perfect opportunity
to observe differences between rabbit expressions and composition.
Ask children what they would name each Bunny.
This exhibition is being provided by the Harmon-Meek Gallery in
Naples, FL (est.1964-) which has previously lent Slonem exhibitions
to over a dozen museums nationwide and has represented Hunt
Slonem since 1996.

Sincerely,
The Artsperts
“New Line” by Hunt Slonem, oil on canvas, 30”x 40”, 2021. One of the works
which will be on exhibit at the Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples.

22 Life in Naples | December 2021