CONGO THE CHIMPANZEE – THE BIRTH OF ART
2019-12-09Surrealist artist and zoologist Desmond Morris is selling his private collection of paintings and drawings by Congo the chimpanzee, with whom he famously worked from 1956-1959, observing and recording the ape’s interest in creating ‘art for art’s sake’ and sharing his findings with the public through books and television. The Mayor Gallery’s exhibition of some 55 paintings, pastels and by the chimp will be the last opportunity to acquire work by Congo, who made some 400 artworks during the experimental three-year period. Morris, whose research methods were extremely rigorous, worked with a number of other apes over the years, but none exhibited Congo’s ability to focus. “No other apes were controlling the mark making and varying the patterns as he was,” Morris recalls. “I originally picked Congo out as one of the more boisterous at the zoo and felt that his strong personality would respond well to focused periods of working together.”
Opposite – Fan Pattern 2 September 1957- MG 12900, 1957
Exhibition runs through to December 19th, 2020
The Mayor Gallery
21 Cork Street
First Floor
W1S 3LZ
London
