The Fine Art & Collectibles Sale
Lot 27:
Description
Signed (upper left)
Image Dimensions: 12 5/8 x 10 5/8 in (32 x 27 cm)
Framed Dimensions: 19 3/4 x 17 1/2 in (50 x 44.5 cm)
This lot is accompanied by a consignor-provided COA or related documentation, offered as received.
George Condo stands as one of the most distinctive figures in contemporary painting and drawing, whose concept of "Artificial Realism" merges classical European portrait traditions with the fractured visual language of modernism. Drawing from influences ranging from Old Master portraiture to Cubism and Surrealism, Condo reconstructs the human face as a psychological construct rather than a fixed identity, allowing multiple states of being to coexist within a single image.
In this work, the composition centers on a hybridized figure whose facial structure appears simultaneously unified and disassembled. The primary face is overlaid and intersected by secondary profiles, suggesting a layered consciousness that unfolds across the surface. Rather than presenting a stable likeness, the drawing operates as a visual negotiation between identity and distortion, where each line contributes to an evolving perception of the subject.
The use of colored pencil introduces a sense of immediacy and precision while maintaining a delicate material presence. Fine linear articulation defines the contours of the face and garments, while selective areas of color-particularly the warm oranges and cooler blues-create a subtle chromatic dialogue. This restrained palette allows the structural complexity of the drawing to remain the focal point, emphasizing line as the primary carrier of form and expression.
Condo’s line work is both controlled and expressive. The contours fluctuate between clarity and fragmentation, producing a rhythm that guides the viewer through the composition. Facial features are exaggerated and reconfigured, yet they retain an underlying coherence that anchors the image within the tradition of portraiture. This balance between distortion and structure is central to Condo’s practice, where the grotesque and the refined coexist within a unified visual language.
Spatially, the drawing resists conventional depth, instead presenting the figure in a shallow, almost suspended plane. The background elements, including ghost-like secondary figures, reinforce the sense of multiplicity without establishing a fixed spatial hierarchy. The result is a composition that feels simultaneously intimate and unstable, drawing the viewer into a psychological rather than physical space.
Conceptually, the work reflects Condo’s exploration of the fragmented self. The overlapping faces and shifting expressions suggest the coexistence of multiple identities within a single subject, echoing broader themes of modern consciousness. Humor, tension, and introspection are interwoven, producing an image that is both unsettling and compelling.
Works on paper of this nature occupy an important position within Condo’s oeuvre, offering insight into his draftsmanship and conceptual development. Collectors and institutions alike value these pieces for their immediacy and their direct connection to the artist’s creative process, with strong demand across the contemporary art market.
In a spatial context, the composition possesses a refined presence. Its linear clarity and psychological intensity allow it to function effectively in both intimate and formal settings, engaging viewers through its layered complexity.
Ultimately, this work exemplifies George Condo’s ability to reconstruct the portrait as a dynamic field of perception, where identity is continuously formed and reformed through line, structure, and imagination.
Condition: ALL PROPERTY IS SOLD AS IS, WHERE IS, WITH NO RETURNS OR CANCELLATIONS.
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