PROPERTY FROM THE KIT FINANCE COLLECTION George Condo The Irish Barber 2008 Oil on canvas in the artist's frame. 132.1 x 116.8 cm. (52 x 46 in). Signed, titled and dated 'Condo The Irish Barber 08' on the reverse.
Provenance Simon Lee Gallery, London Catalogue Essay “I believe that when I paint I become a conduit or medium for antipodal beings, between myself and the visions that exist inside of me. Beyond the conscious awareness of each of us there are thousands of these creatures who exist within the factory of our minds. That’s why, when I paint, I never limit myself to a preconceived notion of the final picture. I let my paintings emerge naturally and so keep myself open to anything that comes my way.” (The artist in ‘George Condo, The Condo Effect’, Another Magazine, Autumn/Winter 2004, p. 420) On first impression, George Condo’s imaginary portraits critique art historical conventions of the genre. A further look show his paintings engaging in an exploration of sexuality, violence, comedy and tragedy to reveal the psyche of his subjects. However, Condo’s characters are derived from the illusory world of memory, and in doing so manifest the style coined by the artist as Artificial Realism. This naturalistic representation of the artificial, implied in the above quote, recalls the manifestos of Dadaism and Surrealism while appropriating the analytical techniques of Cubism in the deconstruction of reality and the artificial construction of another reality. Somewhere between the grotesque and the comic, Condo’s portraits embody an absurd humour. The Irish Barber laughs directly at the viewer in a tone similar to that of Duchamp – his bared teeth and wild expression, in fact, almost defies the onlooker’s gaze. It is this dynamic relationship between Condo’s portraits and their audience that makes them so beguiling and that has brought the artist such high acclaim. On first impression, George Condo's imaginary portraits critique the art historical convention so common to his contemporaries. On a deeper level, his paintings engage in an exploration of sexuality, violence, comedy and tragedy that are all inherent to human nature thus exposing the inner psyche of his subjects. However the characters Condo paints derive from an illusory world of memory creating a style coined by the artist as ‘Artificial Realism.' This realistic representation of the ‘artificial' insinuated in the above quote, evokes the manifestos of Dadaism and Surrealism whilst also appropriating the analytical techniques of Cubism in the deconstruction of reality and the artificial construction of another. Somewhere between the grotesque and the comic, Condo's portraits imbue an absurd humour expressed by The Irish Barber laughing directly at the viewer in a similar tone to Duchamp. The bared teeth and widely snared eyes of the Barber defy any voyeuristic scrutiny with a confrontational zeal which gives Condo's portraits such high acclaim. Read More
PROPERTY FROM THE KIT FINANCE COLLECTION George Condo The Irish Barber 2008 Oil on canvas in the artist's frame. 132.1 x 116.8 cm. (52 x 46 in). Signed, titled and dated 'Condo The Irish Barber 08' on the reverse.
Provenance Simon Lee Gallery, London Catalogue Essay “I believe that when I paint I become a conduit or medium for antipodal beings, between myself and the visions that exist inside of me. Beyond the conscious awareness of each of us there are thousands of these creatures who exist within the factory of our minds. That’s why, when I paint, I never limit myself to a preconceived notion of the final picture. I let my paintings emerge naturally and so keep myself open to anything that comes my way.” (The artist in ‘George Condo, The Condo Effect’, Another Magazine, Autumn/Winter 2004, p. 420) On first impression, George Condo’s imaginary portraits critique art historical conventions of the genre. A further look show his paintings engaging in an exploration of sexuality, violence, comedy and tragedy to reveal the psyche of his subjects. However, Condo’s characters are derived from the illusory world of memory, and in doing so manifest the style coined by the artist as Artificial Realism. This naturalistic representation of the artificial, implied in the above quote, recalls the manifestos of Dadaism and Surrealism while appropriating the analytical techniques of Cubism in the deconstruction of reality and the artificial construction of another reality. Somewhere between the grotesque and the comic, Condo’s portraits embody an absurd humour. The Irish Barber laughs directly at the viewer in a tone similar to that of Duchamp – his bared teeth and wild expression, in fact, almost defies the onlooker’s gaze. It is this dynamic relationship between Condo’s portraits and their audience that makes them so beguiling and that has brought the artist such high acclaim. On first impression, George Condo's imaginary portraits critique the art historical convention so common to his contemporaries. On a deeper level, his paintings engage in an exploration of sexuality, violence, comedy and tragedy that are all inherent to human nature thus exposing the inner psyche of his subjects. However the characters Condo paints derive from an illusory world of memory creating a style coined by the artist as ‘Artificial Realism.' This realistic representation of the ‘artificial' insinuated in the above quote, evokes the manifestos of Dadaism and Surrealism whilst also appropriating the analytical techniques of Cubism in the deconstruction of reality and the artificial construction of another. Somewhere between the grotesque and the comic, Condo's portraits imbue an absurd humour expressed by The Irish Barber laughing directly at the viewer in a similar tone to Duchamp. The bared teeth and widely snared eyes of the Barber defy any voyeuristic scrutiny with a confrontational zeal which gives Condo's portraits such high acclaim. Read More
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
