Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/806973
34 THRILL OF THE HUNT ARTIST HUNT SLONEM'S OPENING AND BOOK BASH AT LAURA RATHE FINE ART Catherine D. Anspon canvas gazes. Photography Lizette Belen Soto. L eaping lapins! The man of lav- ish design, luscious canvases de- picting all manner of flora and fauna, and exuberant historic preservation has returned — Hunt Slonem, that is, holding court at Laura Rathe Fine Art and making his debut at their Colquitt HQ. For the occasion, owner/director Laura Rathe turned the second floor of her mod- ernist gallery space into an ode to all things Hunt. Canvases included a wall of iconic rabbit paintings hung salon style in antique frames to evoke a Victorian parlor. The Met-, Whitney-, and Guggenheim-collected artist's wallpaper and fabric for Lee Jofa upholstered chairs and covered a wall (perfect for photo ops), where Slonem was interviewed by Miz Rathe, followed by a book signing. Houston's design and collecting communities lined up to have the dapper artist pen bunny bons mots in his Bunnies (Glitterati) and When Art Meets Design (Assouline), a handsome volume de- tailing the artist's obsession with maximalist interiors and saving old houses. ACOLYTES OF ART Cathy Echols, gallery director Hannah Reuter, Paula Fyhr with sister Rosemarie DiMarco, designer LeTricia Wilbanks and husband Ronnie Wilbanks, Bibbi Anderson, Kelly Anzilotti, designer Pamela Perilloux, Paulina Padilla, Nancy Bihlmaier, Bob Hogan, Josh Rosenbaum, Maura Parro, Andryea Buggs, and Cherie Lindley. Contemplating hares Hunt pens bunny bons mots. Hunt Slonem, Cathy Echols Hunt Slonem wall of rabbits Pamela Perilloux Bob Hogan, Josh Rosenbaum Rosemarie DiMarco Maura Parro, Paula Fyhr Laura Rathe, Hunt Slonem, Hannah Reuter Cherie Lindley, Casey Baden, Paulina Padilla LeTricia & Ronnie Wilbanks Dan Allison, Bibbi Anderson Nancy Bihlmaier