Renowned Neo-Expressionist Hunt Slonem Paints His First Donkey -- A One-of-a-Kind Commission for Oscar's Place

The painting will be unveiled on June 1 and offered through online auction to support the rescue and care of donkeys at the Northern California sanctuary featured on ABC's Donkey King.

HOPLAND, Calif., June 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A once-in-a-lifetime addition to any art collection. Hunt Slonem, one of America's most prolific and collected contemporary painters, has partnered with Oscar's Place to create the first donkey painting in his catalog.

For more than four decades, Slonem has rendered the natural world in vivid color and unmistakable energy. His iconic bunnies, butterflies, and tropical birds hang in the permanent collections of more than 250 museums worldwide — including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney, and the Miro Foundation — and in the private collections of Yoko Ono, Sharon Stone, Anne Hathaway, Jimmy Fallon, the Clintons, and Andy Warhol.

Slonem has completed a one-of-a-kind donkey painting commissioned by Oscar's Place Adoption Center & Sanctuary, the Northern California rescue featured weekly on ABC's Donkey King. The work — an oil on panel measuring 20 x 16 inches — was inspired by Viejo, the personal companion of Oscar's Place co-founder Ron King.

"I incorporate animals in my work as a way of connecting with the natural world. I'd never painted a donkey before. It was a challenge. I've always loved them, and this was my first attempt."

Oscar's Place has long been tied to the art community. Phil Selway, co-founder of Oscar's Place, is the CEO and co-owner of Hamilton-Selway Fine Art, one of the largest purveyors of pop and contemporary art on the West Coast, with a collection featuring works by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring, and Helen Frankenthaler. It is Phil's art business that has funded his philanthropic work, including the launch of Oscar's Place.

"I have long been a fan of Hunt Slonem and his work. Both professionally and as a personal collector. His magical use of color and texture creates a sense of wonder and warmth. And now, given my work with the mission around the donkeys, it is our mutual love of nature and the joy that can come from it that makes this feel like such a great partnership," said Selway.

The painting will be unveiled on June 1 and offered through an online auction, closing during Oscar's Place's live telethon on Saturday, June 27, broadcast from the sanctuary's barn in Hopland, California. 100% of proceeds from the sale will go directly to the rescue, rehabilitation, and lifelong care of donkeys at Oscar's Place.

BID HERE: https://oscarsplace.betterworld.org/auctions/oscars-place-hunt-slonem-silent

ABOUT HUNT SLONEM

Hunt Slonem is an American Neo-Expressionist artist whose vivid, textured paintings of bunnies, butterflies, and tropical birds have made him one of the most collected American artists of his generation. Since his first solo show in 1977, he has had more than 350 one-man exhibitions internationally. His work is held in the permanent collections of more than 250 museums worldwide, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Miro Foundation. Slonem lives and works in New York City.

ABOUT OSCAR'S PLACE

Oscar's Place Adoption Center & Sanctuary is a GFAS-accredited 501(c)(3) donkey rescue based in Hopland and Potter Valley, California. With more than 220 donkeys currently in its care across two ranches, the sanctuary is the home of Donkey King, the reality series airing Saturdays on ABC stations nationwide.

ABOUT HAMILTON-SELWAY FINE ART

Hamilton-Selway Fine Art is one of the largest purveyors of pop and contemporary art on the West Coast. Located in West Hollywood, California, the gallery specializes in works by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring, Damien Hirst, Robert Rauschenberg, and other defining figures of the movement.

MEDIA CONTACT
Ron King, Co-Founder & CEO, Oscar's Place
[email protected] | 404-664-1644

SOURCE Oscar's Place