PLEASURE PALACES: THE ART AND HOMES OF HUNT SLONEM is a survey of Hunt Slonem’s artwork in diverse media over the past 30 years. A prolific painter, Slonem also works in sculpture and prints. In addition to a critical analysis of Slonem’s work, poet and critic Vincent Katz will introduce the reader to the fantastic homes and spiritual life that inform Slonem’s work. Slonem owns two lofts in New York City, a Victorian mansion in Hudson, New York, and two plantation homes in Louisiana. In New York, his environments are enlivened not only by his collections of neogothic furniture, Blenko glass, and period frames, but also by his astonishing collection of tropical birds. He pays the same careful attention to these elements of his life as to his painting, and this book will examine them all, including Slonem’s interests in saints, Hinduism, and channeling such figures as Rudolph Valentino. Vincent Katz has written on Slonem several times, and has previously contributed poetry to Slonem’s publications.