Back in June, rumor had it that a romance was blossoming between George Condo, painter of such canvases as The Manhattan Strip Club and Showgirls, and American darling Ashley Olsen (because, what else was one to make of a casual rendezvous at a glitzy hotel?). Such gossip was swiftly squashed by the artist’s gallery, which insisted that the meeting was “simply business.”
Be that as it may, their story has since taken an indisputable turn to the contrary. The pair was spotted yet again at the upscale brasserie Balthazar in SoHo this past weekend, canoodling with hands interlocked. “It was obvious something was going on,” a concerned eyewitness told the Daily Mail. “It looked like [Ashley] was dining with her grandpa, but they were holding hands and snuggling.”
Official sources have yet to confirm the tryst, but if true, the affair fits perfectly into recent tales of Condo’s life-altering activities. Take, for instance, his lofty Upper West Side townhouse, which he put on the market for $26.5 million earlier this summer in the midst of a divorce with ex-wife Anna (which, of course, frees him up for a killer bachelor pad).
We couldn’t resist recommending a number of quintessential art-world dates. And since romance “is the privilege of the rich” (as Oscar Wilde once famously declared), we suspect that our couple can easily embark on these sojourns in far flung places in less time than it takes to paint a Birkin Bag.
Robert Rauschenberg,The ¼ Mile or 2 Furlong Piece (1981–98), in “Robert Rauschenberg: A Retrospective,” at the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao in 1998. Courtesy photographer Erika Barahona Ede, © FMGB Gugggenehim, Bilbao. Courtesy of Getty Images.
1. Walk along Robert Rauschenberg’s quarter-mile painting in Beijing.
A true Austenian romantic knows that leisurely strolls form the bedrock of courtship. Where better, then, to take one such stroll than along American legend Robert Rauschenberg’s longest expanse of painting? “The 1/4 Mile or 2 Furlong Piece,” measures over 1,000 feet, and has never been exhibited in its full glory before. But book those flights to Beijing soon, as the show ends this Sunday.
Ai Weiwei, At the Museum of Modern Art, 1987, from the New York Photographs series 1983–93, collection of Ai Weiwei, © Ai Weiwei; Andy Warhol artwork © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. Courtesy of Getty Images.
2. Take a trip down memory lane at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.
In an interview with W Magazine, Condo described his nine-month-long run working at Andy Warhol’s Factory as “incredibly intense.” With the late artist’s joint retrospective alongside Ai Weiwei currently on view, we imagine the exhibition is bound to yield Condo ample material for flashbacks to the good ol’ days.
Naoshima Island. Courtesy of benesse-artsite and Getty Images.
3. Get away to the art island of Naoshima.
If privacy is the goal, the couple may want to consider the sublime island of Naoshima.
Earth Room. Courtesy of Getty Images and YouTube.
4. Visit the New York Earth Room.
For a more grounded outing, there’s always the Earth Room right here in New York City, courtesy of the Dia Foundation. If they ask politely, we’re sure Dia would even grant them special permission to step into artist Walter de Maria‘s installation because, as we all know, there’s nothing love (and money) can’t accomplish.
Ashley Olsen and George Condo surveying Yayoi Kusama’s installation Narcissus Garden at the Glass House. Courtesy of the Glass House and Getty Images.
5. Book a viewing of Yayoi Kusama’s Narcissus Garden at Philip Johnson’s Glass House.
Because, really, what could possibly top that?