Thomas Benjamin Kennington (British, 1856-1916)

Thomas Benjamin Kennington (British, 1856-1916), "No! Gossip", 1907, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, artist name pencil-inscribed en verso, label with artist and title, "Chapman Brothers, London Framers", "Dicksee & Co., Liverpool Framers" and "Sotheby s, New York" labels on reverse of frame, "Sotheby's, New York" label on stretcher, 20 1/4 in. x 30 1/8 in., framed. Provenance: Sotheby's, New York, Feb. 28, 1990, lot 307. Note: Born in Grimsby, England, Thomas Benjamin Kennington studied at the Liverpool School of Art, then the Royal College of Art, and finally the Académie Julian in Paris, where he worked alongside William Bouguereau, Jules Lefebvre and Tony Robert-Fleury. Upon his return to England, Kennington established himself in Chelsea and enjoyed a successful career as a painter in oils and watercolor, winning a reputation as a portraitist and genre painter. He exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy, and his work was also seen at the Royal Society of British Arts and the famous Grosvenor Gallery. Furthering his renown at portraiture, he painted Queen Victoria in 1898.Kennington was also a social activist who cared deeply about the poor and believed strongly in the artists' community. He was a founder and first secretary of the New English Art Club whose purpose was to provide exhibition opportunities for artists who were not accepted to show at the Royal Academy or who were dissatisfied with its supremacy. Kennington was also a founder of the Imperial Arts League, which still exists as The Artists’ League of Great Britain. The Artists' League was founded in 1909 with the purpose of protecting and promoting the interests of artists in matters of business such as copyrights, contracts and insurance. Kennington often painted, like many of his contemporaries, the plight of the impoverished and destitute in order to draw attention to the need for social reform. He was a painter of beauty and scenes from everyday life as well. In the aptly titled work offered here, three women sit in a close circle, seemingly captivated by the conversation at hand. The sumptuous fabrics of the dresses and drapery beautifully contrast against their porcelain complexions and draw the viewer into the intimate scene.
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