George Widener was separated from his parents at an early age: his father died when he was only 9, and his mother, an alcoholic and violent, was institutionalized. He was then raised by his grandmother, and later by his aunt. At 17, he was hired as a technician by the U.S. Air Force. In his free time, he devoted himself to drawing. He attended the University of Tennessee, but his chronic depression and social behavior led to regular stays in psychiatric hospitals. He was also diagnosed in adulthood with a mild form of autism, Asperger’s syndrome, characterized by extraordinary calculation skills and an exceptional memory for names, dates, and miscellaneous facts.
His artistic production, which he pursued daily, involves complex lists, calendars, diagrams, maps, codes, and numbers, inscribed in ink on paper tablecloths glued together and stained with tea. Time is his true medium: Widener attempts to bring coherence to the world through the system of numbers he establishes in his magic squares. These combine air disasters, shipwrecks, telephone numbers, license plates, and significant events from his personal life.