Considered to be one of the most influential living artists, George Condo is credited with bolstering the medium of painting in the mid-1980s. Condo’s signature style is something he calls 'artificial realism,' which he describes as ‘the realistic representation of that which is artificial.’ Incorporating multiple layers of contemporary and art historical references, Condo creates images by applying classical techniques to contemporary subjects and themes of everyday life.

Humorously warped, Condo’s ‘imaginary portraits’ depict two or three sides of the sitter’s personality at the same time, in a style he refers to as ‘psychological cubism.’ Utilising the modern language of Picasso and Braque, Condo is interested in portraying multi-dimensional characters such as the one in the present lot. Smiling Young Woman is not the type of person ‘you want to spend a lot of time staring at,’ but her animalistic features are painted with such meticulous care that her grotesqueness is made endearing and captivating.