GUY PÈNE DU BOIS (1884-1958)

Guy Pène du Bois is renowned for his clever, satirical depictions of the interactions of New York’s high society. Beginning during his time under Robert Henri at the New York School of Art, Pène du Bois established himself as an ardent realist, intent upon capturing the various people and social classes that he encountered. Rather than positioning himself as a participant, Pène du Bois once said: "the artist must not forget that he is an observer, a man watching the parade from a safe though convenient distance and armed, in any case, with enough strength of character to be kept physically out of it." (as quoted in "Guy Pène du Bois," International Studio, June 1922, p. 245)

Conversation Piece adopts the subtle social commentary typical of his work from the 1930s, though Pène du Bois—who had often struggled with finances himself—no doubt pokes fun at the extravagance to which these subjects appear accustomed. “His world on the canvas was that of the fashionable pleasure seeker…Du Bois seems to make a statement about the inner fabric of his subjects,” and the present work is no exception. (C. Schwartz, T. Saltman, The Long Island Collections, A Century of Art: 1880-1980, exhibition catalogue, New York, 1982, p. 66)