Guy Pène du Bois

Known for satirical genre, especially of high society, Guy Pène du Bois was a prominent New York artist in the early 20th century, and was part of the group that broke with conventional approaches from the National Academy of Design.

His father, Henri Pène du Bois (1858-1906), was a noted critic, and his son grew up in a highly cultured atmosphere, in a literary circle. Guy was born into a well-to-do, intellectual New York family. He followed the traditional educational path for a young painter, studying first in New York under William Merritt Chase and Robert Henri in 1899-1905 before traveling to Europe for further training. His earliest paintings were street scenes drawn in free brushstrokes and dark colors. One of his fellow students was painter Edward Hopper, with whom he had a lifelong friendship (1882-1967). In 1906, because of the death of his father, Pène du Bois returned to the United States and worked as a newspaper music and art critic, as well as an illustrator for a number of prestigious publications.

The subjects of Pène du Bois’ paintings were often members of society whom he gently satirized. After 1920, the majority of his work focused on middle- and upper-class people in fashionable restaurants and nightclubs, often portrayed in a satirical manner. The rounded, simplified figures of his subjects have been compared to mannequins or caricatures and convey Pène du Bois’ critical attitude. In 1940, he published his autobiography. His son William (1916-1993) became a well-known writer.

His 1932 entry, Approaching Storm, Racetrack, was painted by Pène du Bois in 1929 in oil on canvas (73,7 x 92,4 cm).