Wright Auction

Painter and educator William Conger was born in 1937 in Dixon, Illinois. Raised in Evanston north of Chicago, Conger was exposed to art early and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago as well as the University of New Mexico, earning his BFA there in 1960 and an MFA from the University of Chicago in 1966.

Conger's mature style, developed in the 1970s, features organic, ribbon-like forms and luminous surfaces, often referencing natural and urban worlds reflective of Chicago's vibrant atmosphere. In the 1980s, Conger's work incorporated more natural and urban references, and his later series, such as Circus and Childhood, displayed playfulness and a lighter mood, while he also explored small collages and gouache paintings.

Together with Miyoko Ito, Richard Loving, and Frank Piatek, Conger formed a loose group of Chicago artists in 1981, which they dubbed the "Allusive Abstractionists," to free abstraction from the then prevailing confines of Minimalism. Formally, but not thematically, the Allusive Abstractionists shared certain compositional objectives with the Chicago Imagists.

During his distinguished teaching career, Conger chaired the art departments at DePaul University and Northwestern University. In 1986, Conger co-founded the publication, Chicago/Art/Write, with a focus on Regionalism and abstraction, and his teaching philosophy emphasized studio practice and intellectual engagement, encouraging literate and well-informed artists.

Along with receiving numerous awards and grants, Conger has been exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Chicago, and elsewhere. His work is held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute, the MCA, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Museum of the Arts, the Illinois State Museum, plus many other college and university museums nationwide.