Last Conversation Piece

Last Conversation Piece is a bronze installation featuring five figures with rounded bodies, where three are engaged in discussion while two others approach them with concern. The figures are positioned in a grassy area of the museum, capturing a moment of quiet human interaction.

The work was created by Spanish artist Juan Munoz between 1994 and 1995 and arrived at the Hirshhorn Museum in March 1996 from the Marian Goodman Gallery. It came into being during a period when Munoz was developing his distinctive approach to figurative sculpture.

The arrangement of figures in the outdoor setting lets visitors walk among them and experience the social exchange directly. The body language and positioning of each figure conveys everyday moments of human connection that people can recognize and relate to.

The work sits on a grassy area of the museum and can be viewed from different angles as you walk around the figures. It is easily accessible and the outdoor setting makes a stroll through the sculpture garden a relaxed experience.

Each figure displays a neutral facial expression and a bag-like lower body, creating tension between their animated upper gestures and their abstracted lower forms. This interplay between movement and formal simplicity makes the work particularly memorable.