George Condo: Pastels
29th January, 2025– 1st March 2025
Sprüth Magers
22 E 80th Street
29th January, 2025 – 12th April 2025
Hauser & Wirth New York,
134 Wooster Street
George Condo’s latest exhibition, Pastels, unfolds across two New York galleries—Sprüth Magers and Hauser & Wirth—offering a rare, unvarnished look at the artist’s dynamic process. Through the medium of pastel, Condo ventures into the raw terrain of human emotion, using spontaneous gestures and improvisational techniques to capture the ineffable.
Acrylic, pastel, and metallic paint on paper
203.2 x 198.1 cm (80 x 78 in)
Photo: Thomas Barrat
Condo’s newest works challenge the conventions of pastel. Forgoing preparatory sketches, he employs gesso, sweeping fields of colour, and bold, dramatic marks to conjure fragmented impressions of the human psyche. These are not merely abstractions; they exist at the edge of figuration, where distorted forms and elusive shapes coalesce into visceral reflections of thought and feeling.
Acrylic and pastel on paper
198.1 x 152.4 cm (78 x 60 in)
Photo: Thomas Barratt
Courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth
At Hauser & Wirth, Condo debuts a series of portraits he refers to as his “bizarre characters.” These puzzle-like figures are fractured yet unified, their faces rendered as jagged planes of vibrant geometry. The sharp, electric tension in these works mirrors the layered complexity of the human mind, each piece a meditation on its fractured, often contradictory impulses.
In contrast, Sprüth Magers presents an exploration of rhythm and motion, where colour explodes across the surface in frenzied compositions. Alongside these vibrant works, a series of black-and-white pastels introduces a quieter yet equally intense energy, with splattered pigments and dripping marks suggesting a kind of controlled chaos. The titles—Centrifuge, Open Forms, No Direction Home, and Chaotic Combustion—hint at the turbulence that underpins these works, channelling fluidity, disarray, and a deep internal reverberation.
Acrylic and pastel on paper
198.1 x 152.4 cm (78 x 60 in)
Photo: Matt Grubb
© George Condo
Courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth
Together, the exhibitions offer a dual perspective on Condo’s artistry, revealing not only his virtuosity with material and colour but also the profound depth of his vision. This is not merely a show about pastels—it is a study of Condo’s relentless pursuit of the unspoken, a visual essay on the chaos and clarity that shape the human condition.
George Condo: Pastels opens on the 29th January, 2025 until the 1st of March 2025 at Sprüth Magers and on the 29th of January, 2025 until the 12th of April 2025 at Hauser & Wirth New York
©2025 Hauser & Wirth
Art Plugged is a contemporary platform inspired by a relationship with the broader arts communities. We provide our audience with curated insight into the world of art, from exhibitions to artist interviews and more.
