George Condo
Crazy Cat Combination, 1989-1990
Oil, paper and charcoal on canvas
342.9 × 252.1 cm
“That’s why I work with a cast of characters, all created carefully. As each of them becomes real, so do their environments, their place of being. Sometimes, I think they even come from some imaginary character’s mind.”
– George Condo
“Crazy Cat Combination,” created between 1989 and 1990, is a vibrant depiction influenced by the American cartoonist George Herriman, renowned for the comic strip “Krazy Kat.”
This monumental composition unites nine works that were originally created as individual paintings and then assembled by the artist in a manner reminiscent of classic comic book pages.
In keeping with the artist’s earlier series of ‘fake Old Masters’ from the early 1980s, each segment of “Crazy Cat Combination” is characterized by allusions to various styles and artists, such as Velázquez, Rembrandt, and Picasso. Acting as a collector and an admirer of these artistic languages, he doesn’t reference any specific work but rather borrows recognizable stylistic elements and palettes, mimicking distinct artistic histories in his own unique approach.
Merging European traditions with the images from American culture on a single canvas, Condo fearlessly interweaves cultural codes and values spanning different periods and territories of art history, resulting in a vibrant and witty tapestry of art evolution.
Exhibitions
George Condo, Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris, Apr 20–May 26, 1990. Large-scale works by gallery artists, The Pace Gallery, 142 Greene Street, New York, Jul 16-Aug 31, 1990.
‘George Condo. Recent Paintings’, The Pace Gallery, 32 East 57 Street, New York, Apr 19–May 24, 1991.
‘I Am the Enunciator’, Thread Waxing Space, New York, Jan 9–Feb 20, 1993
George Condo, McKinney Avenue Contemporary, Dallas, Dece 3, 1994–Jan 15, 1995.
‘George Condo. Mental States’. New Museum, New York (Jan 26–May 8, 2011); Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam (Jun 25–Sep 25, 2011); Hayward Gallery, London (Oct 18, 2011–Jan 15, 2012); Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt (Feb 23–May 28, 2012).
Publications
George Condo. Text by Felix Guattari. Paris: Galerie Daniel Templon, 1990. pp. 25, 53.
George Condo. Art Random, Kyoto Shoin International, Co., Ltd., Kyoto, 1991, pp. 23, 30-31, 39 (details)
‘George Condo. Recent Paintings’. Text by Wilfried Dickhoff. New York: The Pace Gallery, 1991: plate 7, illustrated.
‘I Am the Enunciator’. Text by Christian Leigh. New York: Thread Waxing Space, 1993
The Imaginary portraits of George Condo. powerhouse Books, 2002. pp. 54, 62
‘George Condo. Mental States’ (exhibition catalogue), 2011. Hayward Publishing, p. 163
Are you interested in this artwork?
