MOMA has acquired two works by LCC Professor Tom Hunter for their collection. The mega-gallery has purchased ’After the Party’, from the series ‘Life and Death in Hackney’ in the year 2000, from Hunter’s show at the White Cube Gallery, and ’The Art of Squatting’, from the series ‘Persons Unknown’, in 1997 from his RCA degree show.
Hunter’s work is unique in its formal compositions which draw on art historical references, distinctive for his compelling, socially engaged subject matter, and identifiable for its humane gaze, compassion and respect for his subjects. Taking as his muse the people of Hackney, East London, Hunter draws on the language of old master paintings, deploying their gestures, lighting and composition to imbue his subjects with a sense of drama and dignity.