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The Dinner Party

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Image courtesy of the artist.
The Dinner Party
Image courtesy of the artist.

The Dinner Party

Artist (born 1993)
Date2019
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions36 × 31 1/2 in. (91.4 × 80 cm)
Framed: 37 1/4 in. × 32 3/4 in. × 2 in.
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2020.26
Accession number 2020.26
On View
Not on view
Collections
Provenancepurchased by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2020
Label TextWearing cocktail attire in a lush forest, the six figures in Dinner Party appear out of place. Their body language produces a sense of alienation and unease, as one figure sends an uncomfortable sideways glance to the viewer as the others stand with their backs turned. The scene, which Hannah McBroom experienced at a recent family wedding, illustrates the familiar, uncomfortable tension felt in social settings when her gender identity becomes something needing explanation.

Much of McBroom’s practice centers around belonging—understanding how her body and those of other transgender people fit into a predominantly gender normative culture.