Lot 433
  • 433

GEORGE CONDO | The K-Mart Girl

Estimate
600,000 - 800,000 USD
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Description

  • George Condo
  • The K-Mart Girl
  • signed, titled and dated 2001 on the reverse
  • oil on canvas, in artist's chosen frame 
  • 73 3/8 by 61 3/4 in. 186.4 by 156.9 cm.

Provenance

Caratsch de Pury & Luxembourg, Zurich
Private Collection, Europe
Sotheby's, London, 17 October 2013, Lot 47
Acquired from the above sale by the present owner 

Exhibited

Leipzig, Museum der bildende Künste, Gala 5. Sammler Zeigen Ihre Favoriten, March - June 2009, p. 11, illustrated in color 

Condition

This work is in excellent condition overall. Embedded paint bristles are visible throughout, inherent to the artist's working method. Under Ultraviolet light inspection, there is no evidence of restoration. Framed in artist's chosen frame.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Through the appropriation of regular working stereotypes, The K-Mart Girl is an archetypal example of George Condo’s acclaimed visual vocabulary that challenges and re-defines the conventional notion of figurative portraiture. Condo re-interprets the bastions of normality and confronts the viewer with unexpected juxtapositions and unconventional narratives. The instantly recognizable distortions and geometric additions in Condo’s portraits present a singularly apposite commentary on contemporary society. Despite their quasi-grotesque alterations of form, Ralph Rugoff notes that Condo also imbues his characters with a sense of ineffable pathos: “Unlike in caricature… the preposterous features of these figures are in fact rendered with great sympathy. Drawing on the traditional rhetoric of portraiture, Condo imbues his invented subjects with a compelling psychological presence” (Ralph Rugoff, "The Mental States of America," in Exh. Cat., London, Hayward Gallery, George Condo: Mental States, 2011-2012, p. 16). Endowed with surreal possibilities and the ostensible depictions of everyday characters, the subjects of Condo’s portraitures provide a satirical commentary on the commercialism and consumerism present within certain aspects of American society in the 21st Century. With interest in depicting regular, seemingly anonymous, working "types", The K-Mart Girl conflates the high and low through Condo’s trademark distortions of the human form within the framework of historical portraitures. The sitter’s grin bares her teeth beneath a bulbous nose, while the exaggerated eyes and ears lend a comedic element to the portrait.  The signature red and white stripes of her uniform represent the instantly recognizable K-Mart colors, lending clues to the sitter’s profession and identity. Known for their mass-market goods and emphasis on bargain prices, K-Mart is arguably one of the ultimate examples of American consumerist ethos.

Stylistically, Pablo Picasso’s influence on Condo’s modus operandi is unmistakable and the artist openly pays homage to his Modernist predecessor. The influence of Picasso’s spatial distortions can be seen in Condo’s own investigations into the possibilities of geometrical forms and re-invention of facial features. In the slanting contours of her face and the strangely twisting smile, The K-Mart Girl has an enigmatic presence and provides an indication of the extent to which earlier artistic masterpieces have acted as sources of inspiration for Condo’s work. The result is curious power that superbly encapsulates the elegant mixture of humor and humanity that exists within Condo’s painting. In the artist’s own words, “Picasso painted a violin from four different perspectives at one moment. I do the same with psychological states. Four of them can occur simultaneously. Like glimpsing a bus with one passenger howling over a joke they're hearing down the phone, someone else asleep, someone else crying – I'll put them all in one face” (George Condo, quoted in The Guardian, 10 February 2014).