Since the artist's debut in New York with a one-person exhibition at both Pat Hearn and Barbara Gladstone galleries in 1983, Condo has continued throughout the last twenty years to explore the realm of portraiture in his own highly original and distinctive manner. Beginning with his clown paintings in the early 80's, Condo's investigation into this genre reflected a highly unconventional approach to portraiture based upon imagination and memory as opposed to found or appropriated source material. The imaginary portrait became, through Condo's eyes, a springboard for the development of an entirely new language of portraiture. While simultaneously drawing upon traditional techniques of oil painting, Condo imbued his subjects with a psychological complexity quite unique in the realm of the portrait.
Reprinted from Luhring Augustine press release, 2002.
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