| Guy Pène du Bois | |
|---|---|
An American Oriental, oil on canvas painting by Guy Pène du Bois, 1921, Los Angeles County Museum of Art |
|
| Born | 1884 Brooklyn, New York[1] |
| Died | 1958 |
| Nationality | American |
| Field | Painting |
| Training | New York School of Art[2] |
Guy Pène du Bois (1884–1958) was an early 20th century American painter. Born in the US to a French family, his work specialised in the culture and society around him: cafes, theatres, and in the twenties, flappers.
In 1940, he published his autobiography: Artists Say the Silliest Things.[3]
His son was the French-American author and illustrator William Pène du Bois.[3]
The American artist Jerome Myers recalled his close friendship with Guy Pène du Bois in his 1940 autobiography "Artist in Manhattan" [4] "Guy Pene du Bois has long been the auditor of my thoughts on art and life. Our contacts were so pleasurable and profitable. So often in his charming home circle, over our coffee, we would spend hours together, analyzing art conditions, forecasting the careers of various artists then commanding the spotlight, as well as of others whose light shone less brightly. I regret that I made no notes of our talks, for to me they were always an inspiration.
Guy was then the noted art critic and painter; and even later, when he became the noted painter, he was still the art critic as well, coining his brief aphorisms with a dash of cosmopolitan cynicism, cool wisdom and dry humor. I regretted the intervention of his trips abroad; but our intimate conversations were resumed whenever opportunity afforded, Guy remaining as ever my real spiritual comrade. He was always a wise friend, a wise teacher, the possessor of an individual and rare skill in painting, his life a notable one, his contacts illustrious. I envy him only all that his history entails in names and places, covering so much of our present art history."