British contemporary artists The Connor Brothers have gained global recognition for their biting and comical reinterpretation of vintage imagery, primarily through prints and limited editions. They offer a unique blend of pop culture, literature, and fine art with humor and irony to reveal truths in society today. Their editions are coveted by collectors for their sharp cultural commentary to provide viewers with strikingly recognisable characters. Check out our collection of The Connor Brothers’ works for sale to help you find pieces that are lightly humorous, easily useable, while also being collectible.
About The Connor Brothers
The Connor Brothers, originally introduced to the public as reclusive American twins who had fled from a cult-based religious group, emerged into the contemporary art world in 2012 with an elaborate phony back story. The truth is, the duo is comprised of British artists Mike Snelle and James Golding who, under the artistic pseudonyms of The Connor Brothers to freely critique cultural standards and examine identity, truth, and storytelling narratives.
The techniques utilise pulp fiction book covers, mid-century pin-up art, and bold text overlays, creating works that mimic clichés while surfacing more complicated social anxieties. Shown in galleries worldwide and collected by cultural institutions and celebrities, The Connor Brothers have established themselves as both satirical and sincere voices in contemporary art.
Iconic Series and Artworks
The Connor Brothers’ most recognised artwork creates a take on vintage pulp novel covers, often with inside joke or absurdist captions. Their series combines nostalgic mid-century artistic rendering with deadpan, witty responses like I Tried to Drown My Sorrows, But the Bastards Learned to Swim or I Can Resist Everything Except Temptation. These pieces mix humour and sorrow to touch on irony of modernity of life and love and despair.
Their conceptual stories and book cover series are indeed highly collectible and the base of their identifiable style. These works utilise well-known cultural memes to create a satirical visual commentary to consider the line between fiction and fact, fantasy and reality.
Along with the pulp series, they have also made works that relate to social initiatives and charity work by engaging in refugee charities and mental health awareness projects, demonstrating their ability to use art to create more cultural issues. Their limited editions, particularly screen prints and hand-finished prints are some of the most popular in the current contemporary print market.
Who are The Connor Brothers?
Twins Franklyn and Brendan Connor were brought up within a secretive & highly controversial cult known as ‘The Family’. Born out of the hippy movement in 1968 and founded by David Berg ‘The Family’ was an extreme Christian cult whose members believed in something called ‘The System’. Other children brought up within the cult include the actors River and Joaquin Phoenix.
As children the twins were deprived of access to information from outside of their commune. Without access to mainstream media their knowledge of the world was limited to the teachings and interactions they gained from other cult members. At sixteen the boys turned their backs on The Family and ran away from home. After several years riding the freight trains they settled in the Brooklyn area of New York.
Having been starved of information for so many years Franklyn and Brendan were initially overwhelmed by the outside world but soon developed an insatiable curiosity and a remarkable appetite to learn. They developed a system whereby each of them would read, watch and discover things independently and then share them with one another via a series of notebooks and sketchpads. This interaction developed into making art together, a process they describe as ‘trying to make sense of the world.’ Their often humorous work is steeped in references to both historical and popular culture and presents an almost anthropological view of contemporary western society.
Now in their early twenties the twins split their time between New York and Missouri.
(Also known as Mike Snelle and James Golding gallery owners turned artists).
Art Market and Investment
The Connor Brothers market has skyrocketed the last couple of years, with credible results at auction and a continuous sell-out success of their limited edition products. Their screenprints start at reasonable price points and original works go for considerably elevated price points, bringing various collectors.
Some recent auction records include selling a piece from the series based on pulp fiction for tens of thousands of pounds, which is strong evidence there is sustained interest. Their unique combination of humour, societal critique, and recognisable artwork style generates strong investment interest, especially for someone wanting to connect in art and pop culture at the same time.
Authenticity and Provenance
Authenticity is a critical piece when we discuss collecting from The Connor Brothers. Their limited editions are usually signed and numbered by the artists, and their original works will have certificates of authenticity certified by reputable galleries. Provenance is very relevant in verifying where the piece of artwork came from because of the amount of popularity and circulation of their prints.
All Connor Brothers artworks sold on FairArt will have the authentication and provenance checked as part of the FairArt guarantee. We only deal with galleries and auction houses that we have authenticated, and/or directly from sources to ensure collectors have peace of mind when purchasing. If you have questions about provenance and authentication of your Connor Brothers piece, please connect with us at support@fairart.io