George Condo American, b. 1957

George Condo (1957-) is a contemporary American artist who has had a profound influence  in shaping contemporary visual art through his paintings, sculptures, drawing and prints. Condo was born in Concord, Massachusetts and studied art history and music theory at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. His education in music has also shaped his approach to art with his artistic and musical practice following similar themes of juxtaposition and combination of genres. He was part of a punk band, named ‘The Girls’, in Boston where he worked for two years at a silkscreen shop. He then moved to New York, where he worked in Andy Warhol's factory and held his first public exhibitions in East Village. Condo studied the Old Masters extensively during his stay in Los Angeles for about a year, before heading to Germany in 1984. In 1985, he moved to Paris and made frequent visits to New York until 1995 when he settled back in the States. Condo has held solo and group exhibitions all over the world, spanning major artistic centres like New York, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Berlin, Shanghai, Venice and many more. He has also contributed to several album and book covers, including Jack Kerouac’s ‘Book of Sketches’ and Kanye West’s ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’. Condo had several writer friends including William S. Burroughs, Beats poet Allen Ginsberg and the philosopher Felix Guttari, the latter having written about Condo’s work in great measure. 

Condo’s artistic practices combine his experiences of growing up in a fragmented, postmodern American landscape with his education in art history, clashing the style of Old Masters with everyday American iconography. He splices classical figures with popular characters like Batman and the Playboy Bunny to construct what he terms as ‘Artificial Realism’. The narrative formed within his works, by appropriating pre-existing characters and creating his own, reflects his psychological state as well as critically examines contemporary society. His ‘imaginary portraits’ showcase his technical mastery but challenge conventions by leaning into grotesque forms. Condo’s works are highly intuitive, featuring vibrant colours and visual motifs that weave a narrative depicting humanity but not necessarily human figures. He is featured in collections across the US, Canada and Europe.