Congo the Chimpanzee Painter Who Fascinated Picasso, Miró, and Dalí

In 1956, British zoologist Desmond Morris (1928–2026) began an experiment with Congo, a two-year-old chimpanzee born at the London Zoo, to explore the origins of artistic creativity. Morris provided Congo with crayons, then brushes and gouache, without intervening in the creative process. Over three years, Congo produced nearly 400 paintings and drawings, displaying a sense of composition, color preferences, and a clear notion of when a work was finished. In 1957, the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London exhibited Congo's works alongside those of other primates in "Paintings by Chimpanzees," organized by Morris with the ICA, the Zoological Society of London, and Granada Television. A second exhibition, "The Lost Image," took place at the Royal Festival Hall in 1958. Congo's art attracted media attention, including BBC coverage. Pablo Picasso reportedly acquired one of Congo's paintings, now in a private collection. Joan Miró exchanged two of his drawings for a Congo painting. Salvador Dalí famously quipped, "The hand of the chimpanzee is quasi-human; the hand of Jackson Pollock is totally animal." Congo died of tuberculosis in 1964. In 2005, three of his paintings were auctioned in London, estimated at £600–800 but selling for over £14,000, outperforming some human artists' works.