Overview

George Condo (born 1957) is an American painter known for a distinctive blend of abstracted cubism technique and contemporary culture. Raised in New Hampshire, he studied art history and music theory before moving to New York in the early 1980s, where he became part of the downtown scene alongside artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring.

 

Condo coined the term “Artificial Realism” to describe his approach: paintings that look classical at first glance but are populated by fractured, cartoon-like figures and psychologically charged characters. His “portraits,” often of imaginary sitters, mix elegance with anxiety and dark humour. While he draws on Velázquez, Goya and Picasso, he also references advertising, music and everyday life, creating images that feel both familiar and unsettling.

 

Over four decades, Condo has shown widely in museums and galleries around the world. Major exhibitions include “Mental States” at the New Museum, New York, and the Hayward Gallery, London. His work sits in prominent public collections, including The Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Centre Pompidou and Tate. Beyond the gallery, he has collaborated with musicians and writers, most famously creating album artwork for Kanye West.

 

Condo lives and works in New York. He remains a central figure in contemporary painting, known for exploring the fragile line between beauty and chaos.

 

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