Some paintings arrive all at once. Others take years to reveal themselves. The Dinner Party is one of those works I returned to again and again over several years, allowing the composition to develop through layers of color, gesture, and changing ideas. What began as a gathering of figures became something more atmospheric: a room full of personalities, conversations, and the wonderful complexity of people coming together.
The painting holds a certain theatrical quality. Figures gather around a table beneath sweeping drapery, their gestures and expressions emerging through passages of blue, burgundy, pink, and white. Some are immediately recognizable, while others seem to disappear into the background. I love that the longer you look, the more you begin to discover.
There is something about a dinner party that has always fascinated me. The anticipation, the personalities, the conversation, the beautiful disorder of an evening unfolding. This painting captures that feeling without telling the entire story.
Having lived with this work in my studio for years, I am ready for it to become part of someone else's collection. I imagine it in a dining room, naturally, but perhaps even more interestingly in a library or sitting room, somewhere its characters can become familiar companions and invite a little conversation of their own.
Included in The Treasure Auction, October 16–20. Bidding takes place exclusively via Instagram DM or text. Visit @kristencoates for current bids and auction details.
Details
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Artist: Kristen Coates
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Title: The Dinner Party
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22"H × 24"W framed
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Original painting
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Developed over several years
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From Kristen Coates' studio archive
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Presented framed
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One of a kind