Who could have imagined that a chimpanzee, armed with nothing more than a simple pot of paint and a brush, would one day see his artwork displayed alongside the greatest masters of painting in history? This is the extraordinary story of Congo, a chimpanzee whose artistic journey challenged conventional notions of creativity and art.
Born in the wild around 1954, Congo, a young chimpanzee, joined the London Zoo at an early age, where he quickly caught the attention of Desmond Morris, a writer and zoologist. At just two years old, in 1956, Morris, who was also a painter himself, offered Congo a pencil and a sheet of paper. This simple gesture would mark the beginning of an extraordinary artistic adventure that would captivate the art world.
From the very first sessions, Desmond Morris noticed Congo's unusual qualities. The chimpanzee spontaneously drew regular and coherent patterns, balancing forms on the canvas with astonishing regularity. When the researcher drew a shape on one part of the canvas, the chimpanzee would strive to balance the composition on the other side. It's important to note that at no point during the experiment did Morris encourage or reward Congo for his works.
As the sessions progressed, the zoologist observed that Congo became increasingly confident, both in his movements and in the way he composed his works. The style of painting developed by the chimpanzee could be related to abstract impressionism. Gradually, Congo became obsessed with his painting sessions, and when someone tried to interrupt him before he had finished, he would manifest intense anger. If he thought he had completed a work, he would categorically refuse to continue.
Very quickly, Congo made a name for himself. The chimpanzee made newspaper headlines and became a global celebrity, attracting the attention of the biggest names in art. His talent was indeed precocious and remarkable for a non-human artist.
In 1957, Desmond Morris organized a major exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, dedicated to the monkey's works. The event caused a sensation, and the art press became fascinated with Congo's case. According to Morris's observations, certain chimpanzees possess an aesthetic sense comparable to that of young children.
Surrealist personalities like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and Joan Miró became interested in the chimpanzee's creations. Picasso even purchased canvases, while Miró exchanged two of his own works for one of Congo's. Critics, however, received the works with a combination of skepticism and mockery.
But Desmond Morris, firmly convinced, defended the idea of an authentic aesthetic sense in Congo. According to him, the chimpanzee demonstrated an aptitude for abstract composition comparable to the birth of art in humans, an observation he recorded in his book 'The Biology of Art' in 1962. This experiment divided the artistic world, with some embracing the revolutionary idea while others dismissed it entirely.
Congo's enthusiasm for painting eventually faded in 1959, without apparent reason. Shortly after the end of his painting sessions, Congo died in 1964 at the age of ten, struck by tuberculosis. His death marked the end of an unprecedented chapter in the intersection of animal behavior and artistic expression.
After his death, Congo's story continued to amaze and fascinate. His 400 paintings, dispersed after the 1957 exhibition, found new owners. Some were given as gifts, others sold, but all retained immense symbolic value. Desmond Morris, who documented this entire story, dedicated his life to the study of animal behavior and continued to champion Congo's legacy.
Congo's case remains a reference point in reflection on animal creativity and its connections with that of humans. Interest in his works was renewed in the 2000s. In 2005, three of Congo's canvases were put up for auction in London, alongside those of Renoir and Warhol, demonstrating the lasting value and recognition of his artistic contributions. Then, in 2019, the Mayor Gallery in London organized a major retrospective titled 'Congo the Chimpanzee, The Birth of Art.'
Beyond his role as an object of scientific study, Congo the chimpanzee remains a unique figure in art history, one who transcended the boundaries of his species to become a true artist. His legacy continues to challenge our understanding of creativity, consciousness, and the nature of artistic expression itself. The fact that renowned artists like Picasso and Miró recognized and valued his work speaks to something profound about the universal nature of artistic impulse and aesthetic appreciation.
Congo's story raises fascinating questions about the origins of artistic behavior and whether creativity is truly unique to humans. His systematic approach to composition, his evident emotional investment in his work, and his ability to create balanced, aesthetically pleasing pieces suggest that artistic sensibility may be more widespread in the animal kingdom than previously thought. This remarkable chimpanzee's brief but impactful artistic career continues to inspire discussions about art, consciousness, and the boundaries between human and animal cognition, making him an enduring figure in both art history and scientific research.
