Famed artist George Condo, with some of his artworks in his studio.
George Condo’s style is so unique, the American artist has had to coin his own term to describe it: “artificial realism”. Created from a distinctive mixture of various different influences – from Old Masters to modern-day pop culture – George Condo’s artwork has captured public attention for over forty years, and he is now regarded as one of the most influential artists of his generation.
Condo’s art is especially popular in the US and the UK, and interest in his work has grown steadily over the years, as have the prices paid for his pieces. Condo is best-known as a painter, although he has also created a number of prints; these tend to do fairly well at auction, with the majority reaching between £500 and £5,000, and a significant number selling for up to £50,000.
George Condo always comes across as a thoughtful and intelligent man in interviews, and his experiences have undoubtedly shaped some of his extraordinary work. As such, it’s interesting to know some things about his personal life when considering his art. Below is a list of five things you might not have known about George Condo.
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He Studied Art History And Music Theory
George Condo has spoken frequently about the importance of music to his artistic practice, and the two disciplines seem intrinsically linked in his mind. As a child, he drew frequently but also studied classical music and classical guitar. This training was furthered by his time at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he studied both art history and music theory.
The artist has said that “Having a music education really helped me understand how to paint and how to think about painting” because “the complexities of rhythm, chord structures, and music theory can be applied tonally with paint.” As such, much of his work (such as The Beatles and The Jimi Hendrix Experience) is directly inspired by his musical background.
His Most Expensive Print Sold For £65,000
Watching Television is an unusual print for Condo, as rather than distorted, fractured figures heavily-inspired by Cubism, it features four images from contemporary television programmes. The serigraph on canvas is exemplary of how diverse Condo’s style can be, and it was sold by Phillips de Pury & Company in June 2007 for £65,000.
Watching Television sold by Phillip’s in 2007
He Knew Some Famous Artists
After leaving university, Condo found himself playing in a band called The Girls, and working at a silkscreen shop to make money. In 1979, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s band, Gray, opened for The Girls at a nightclub in Manhattan; it was a serendipitous meeting for the two artists, and it kicked off a friendship that was only ended by Basquiat’s untimely death.
Condo ended up moving to New York at Basquiat’s suggestion, and he eventually began working in Andy Warhol’s Factory. Condo recalled it as “excruciating labour” that frequently involved working from nine a.m. until the early hours of the morning; though he only met Warhol a few times in his months at the Factory, after Condo left, the older artist bought some of his work at an exhibition, not realising that Condo had in fact worked for him.
During his time in New York, Condo also met and befriended Keith Haring; again, this friendship lasted until Haring’s early death. The heady cocktail of art and music that surrounded Condo at this time left an indelible impression on his work; as the artist said, it “made me feel like I was in touch with the art gods.”
He Creates “Psychological Cubism”
George Condo has said that “Picasso painted a violin from four different perspectives at one moment. I do the same with psychological states”, and he’s described his art as “psychological cubism.” Indeed, in prints such as Radiant Person and Untitled (2019), the influence of Cubism is clear to see, as is Condo’s attempt to capture the vast spectrum of contradictory emotions that can exist within humans at any one time. In his own words, “I want to capture every aspect of the human personality in a single glance or at least four views in a single person’s mind. I aim to simultaneously capture horror, joy, happiness, and grief because they coexist within us.”
Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
He’s Designed Several Album Covers
George Condo’s musical background is intrinsic to his artistic practice, from his process to his subject matter. Not only has Condo created prints that resemble record covers (such as The Jimi Hendrix Experience and The Beatles), but he’s also been commissioned to design various album covers for modern-day musicians.
The best-known of these is probably Kanye West’s 2010 album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Condo created five alternate covers in total; one of these featured a sexually-explicit mixture of – in Condo’s words – “a sphinx, a phoenix, a haunting ghost, a harpy” straddling a naked, distorted Kanye West holding a bottle. That particular cover was promptly banned by a number of outlets, including Apple’s iTunes Music Store.
The censorship has been roundly criticised by Condo, who responded by saying: “The superimposition of people’s perceptions on a cartoon is shocking. What’s happening in their minds should be banned. Not the painting.”
