On: George Condo

Hi everyone welcome back to my blog! This week I’m going to dive into the works of George Condo and discuss why album art is. If there are any hype beast, Yeezy-lovers reading this settle down. This piece is for you.

George Condo is a visionary artist who has made a huge impact in the contemporary art world through his paintings, drawings, sculptures and prints. His background stems from his love of both music theory and art history. Throughout his early career Condo danced between the two paths; starting off working at a silk screen shop while also being the bassist of the band The Girls. In the late 80s, he even opened for Jean-Michel Basquiats band, Gray. After this connection, Condo decided to move to the infamous Ludlow Street in NYC where he began his career as a practicing artist. Condo also later became a founding member of the bluesy punk band Hi Sheriffs of Blue. His early works were seen alongside artists like Basquiat and Keith Haring who were all linked to the East Village art scene during that time.

Condo has had a lasting impact on the music industry as well. If you google his name and look at his works you may recognize the style of his paintings. In 2010, Kanye West released his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Condo made a series of covers for him. Kanye even played at one of his gallery openings.

Beyond collaborating with Kanye West, Condo has also created covers for other iconic artists such as Phish and Travis Scot. Below you can see Travis Scott with Condo himself and then the cover he did for him. Condos work is a reminder that. I hope you enjoyed reading about George Condo and check out his works on your own time. See you next Sunday!

“If the soul and the ego were objects we could look at, the soul would be a translucent heart beating. If you broke away the tissues, you’d destroy a very delicate pulse. And the ego would be an armored unit designed to protect the soul. The soul is in need of protection from people’s inability to restrain from vices, like jealousy, lust, greed … forms of intrusion that the soul and ego try to control. But the need to control brings about more of the same. The ego is a process of elimination that we go through. In order to have this capacity to eliminate, you need the ego to guide the sword.” - George Condo interview with Anney Bonney for BOMB Magazine