Charles Compo (b.1958) is an internationally recognized composer, multi-instrumentalist and painter. He was immersed in the East Village art scene in the ‘80s and collected art by many Rivington School artists. During this time, Compo worked as an assistant to Andy Warhol and collaborated with filmmaker and artist Harry Smith. He has written over 100 published musical compositions including “Seven Flute Solos”, which is published by Smithsonian Folkways.
Over the past two years, Compo’s work has been featured in over thirty notable juried shows worldwide. His painting “I’ve Got The World On A String” was selected to represent the United States in the 2021 London Biennale. In August of 2022 his painting “Crossing The Bridge When You Come To It” was exhibited at the 2022 Chianciano Biennale and is now in the permanent collection of the Museo d’Arte di Chianciano Terme. His painting “Down At The Rally” received a special award by MOMA curator Paulina Pobocha and was acquired by The Yuko Nii Foundation’s Permanent Collection at the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center, and most recently his painting “Bad Birdie” was acquired by the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum.
Brinda Kumar, the curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Metropolitan Museum, selected his painting “Swan Lake” to exhibit at Greenwich Art Society for their 105th Annual Juried exhibition and gave a talk on the painting at the opening reception. Here is an excerpt from that talk:
“I love how narrative can be a starting point but where it takes you, and with the artist's imagination you are certainly not limited, it takes you somewhere quite surreal and unexpected. You're not quite sure where you stand with this, and I find it quite absolutely marvelous and refreshing. There's a certain kind of psychological complexity to it that I think the artist is getting at."
My art is an expression of my creative impulse, a process of exploration and discovery that brings me into a deeper understanding of myself and the world around me. Through the act of arranging items and experimenting with brushstrokes and paint, I enter a state of flow where thoughts and emotions emerge and find their place in the visual language of my work.For me, the act of creating art is a form of meditation, a way of engaging with the present moment and channeling my innermost thoughts and feelings. I am fascinated by the interplay of color, form, and composition, and how these elements can be used to create a sense of depth, movement, and balance. Whether through the use of symbolism, abstraction, or figurative representation, I hope to create art that invites viewers to engage with the mystery and beauty of the world around us.
Grants and Awards
2023 First Prize, "Works of Excellence," by Maria Mingalone, Executive Director ofOceanside Museum of Art; Megan Pogue, Executive Director ofTimken Museum of Art; and Sonya Sparks, Owner and Chief Curator ofSparks Gallery, The Studio Door Gallery, San Diego, CA
2023 Second Prize, Stamford Art Association, Stamford, CT
2022 First Prize, The Edward Mitchell Bannister Award, by Worcester Museum Curator Dr. Claire Whitner Worcester Museum, Providence Art Club, Providence, RI
2022 Third Place Award, Stamford Arts Association, Stamford, CT
2022 Brussels Art Vue Prize, Special Mention, Brussels, Belgium
2021 Special Prize Awarded by MOMA curator Paulina Pabocha, Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn NY
2021 Bronze Award, “Shades of Blue” exhibition, Camelback Gallery2021 Second Prize, National Juried Exhibition, Oxford Arts Alliance, Oxford, PA
2021 Second Prize, “Made in New York” Juried Group Show, Schweinfurth Center for the Arts, Auburn, NY
2021 Finalist in Prisma Art Prize2021 Finalist in Ashurt Emerging Artist Award
Permanent Collections
2023 The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI
2023 The Blacksburg Museum, Blacksburg, VA
2023 The Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, CA2023 The Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, Wausau, WI2022 The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI2022 Museo D’Arte Chianciano Terme, Chianciano, Italy2021 The Yuko Nii Foundation’s Permanent Collection, The Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn, NY
Solo Shows
2022 Objects In The Mirror..., Pictor Gallery, Landmark Arts Building, New York, NY
2023 Tulsa Artists’ Coalition, Tulsa, OK
2021 Psychodramatic Landscapes, Pictor Gallery, Landmark Arts Building, New York, NY
Group Shows
2023 The London Art Biennale 2023, London, UK
2023 The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum 2023 Birds in Art exhibition, Wausau, WI
2023 “Global Meltdown III,” Limner Gallery, Hudson, NY
2023 “USED”: A National Juried Exhibition, Attleboro Arts Museum, Attleboro, MA
2023 "Works of Excellence," The Studio Door, San Diego, CA
2023 "Outside the Box," Pictor Gallery, New York, NY
2023 “Five Points: A Convergence of Dreams” Juried show, New York Artists Equity Association, NY2023 O’Keeffe Juried exhibition, Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Foundation, Blacksburg, VA2023 Tarot exhibition, Memento Mori Gallery, Lakewood, CO2023 Winter Escape Juried Exhibition, Stamford Art Association, Stamford, CT2023 60th Annual Juried Competition, Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA2023 Sanctuary Juried exhibition, Grosse Pointe Art Center, Grosse Pointe, MI2023 6th Annual National Juried Exhibition, Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, Wausau, WI2022 Chianciano Biennale, Museo D’arte di Chianciano, Chianciano, Italy2022 “Visions of Hope” Juried exhibition, Stola Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL2022 City Rhyme Members Exhibition, Starta Arta, New York, NY2022 CT + 6 Juried Exhibition, West Hartford Art League, Hartford, CT2022 “VOGUE” International Juried Show, Boomer Gallery, Tower Bridge, London, UK2022 National Juried Exhibition, Oxford Arts Alliance, Oxford, PA2022 Things Unseen, Biennial National Juried Exhibition, Gainesville Fine Arts Association, Gainesville, FL2022 Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s 2022 Birds in Art exhibition, Wausau, WI2022 Wonderland Juried show, The Art Effect, Trolley Barn Gallery, Poughkeepsie, NY2022 Worlds Collide Juried exhibition, Grosse Pointe Art Center, Grosse Pointe, MI2022 National Juried Exhibition, Providence Art Club, Providence, RI2021 WAH Center Annual Salon Show, Brooklyn NY2022 The 22nd Annual Vivian & Stanley Reed Marine Show, Townhouse Gallery, Stamford ,CT2022 INNOVATIONS, International Society of Experimental Artists, Gallery of St. Albert, Alberta, CA2022 Adams County Arts Council, Schmucker Art Gallery, Gettysburg, PA2022 35th Northern National Art Competition, Nicolet College Lakeside Center, Rhinelander, WI2022 Annual Members Show, Starta Arta, New York, NY2022 A Queens Fine Art Spring AFFAIR, Culture Lab LIC, Long Island City, NY2022 105th Annual Juried Exhibition at Bendheim Gallery, Greenwich Art Society, Greenwich, CT2022 35th Annual Juried Exhibition, Monmouth County Arts Alliance, Red Bank, NJ2022 National Juried Show, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, Brooklyn, NY2022 Six Summit Gallery, Windows of Port Authority Bus Terminal, New York, NY2022 The Unknown Nature of Being, Tubac Center of the Arts, Tubac, AZ2022 64th National Juried Show, Rocky Mount Imperial Center for the Arts, Rocky Mount, NC2022 12th Annual Art & Earth Juried Art Exhibit, Berkeley Arts Council, Martinsburg, WV2022 The Art of Inner Voices, Blue Door Art Center, Yonkers, NY2022 5th Biennale Wings and Water, River Arts, Inc. Prairie Du Sac, WI2021 The Works Acquired in the Yuko Nii Foundation’s Permanent Collection, WAH Center, Brooklyn NY2021 The London Art Biennale, Chelsea Old Town Hall, London, UK2021 Pure Paint, Juried Show, Arts Benicia, Benicia, CA2021 Title to be Determined, Juried Show, Starta Arta, New York, NY2021 National Juried Exhibition, Oxford Arts Alliance, Oxford, PA, Second Prize Winner2021 Big City vs. Small Town Juried show, MVA Gallery, Bethlehem, PA2021 CCAN Juried show, Center for Contemporary Arts, Albeine, TX 2021 Mystery, Magic, Macabre Juried Show, Deines Cultural Center, Russel, KS2021 AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL Juried Show, Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Brooklyn NY2021 October Group Juried Show, Jones Gallery, Kansas City, MO2021 “ICON” International Juried Show, Boomer Gallery, Tower Bridge, London, UK2021 “Bold Expressions” Juried Show, Northern California Arts, Inc, Carmichael, CA2021 “Made In New York” Juried Show, Schweinfurth Center For The Arts, Auburn, NY 2021 “Desperately Seeking Normal” Premier Members Show, Pictor Gallery, New York, NY2021 “Unprecedented” Juried Show, Healdsburg Center for the Arts, Healdsburg, CA2021 “Call of The Wild” Virtual Show, San Fernando Valley Arts & Cultural Center, Encino, CA2021 “PAINT” Juried Show, Silvermine Gallery, New Canaan, CT2021 “What is Art II?” International Group Show, Boomer Gallery, London, UK2021 “Colors” Online Group Exhibition, Art Room Gallery Online 2021 Virtual Solo Exhibition, Pleiades Gallery, New York, NY2021 “Looking Forward, Looking Back” Group Exhibition, A Tree Falls Gallery, New York, NY2019 “Beauties and Beasts” group show, Pleiades Gallery, New York, NY2019 Annual Invitational, group show, Pleiades Gallery, New York, NY
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