His first show, at the Betty Parsons Gallery in 1949, sold out. In 1951, he was the subject of a profile in Life magazine, appearing on the cover. By then, Mr. Congdon had returned to Italy, living first in Rome, then Venice, Assisi and Milan. He continued to exhibit with Parsons until 1962, had one-person shows at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston and the Phillips Collection in Washington, and was included in numerous museum surveys of contemporary American art. Throughout the late 1950's, Mr. Congdon traveled widely, seeking and finding inspiration in scenes of Athens and Istanbul, and in Indian temples, French cathedrals and Italian and Ceylonese landscapes. In 1959, in his ''second conversion,'' he converted to Catholicism in Assisi and for several years painted Old and New Testament themes that were praised by such Catholic intellectuals as Jacques Maritain, Martin D'Arcy and Thomas Merton. In 1964, he attended the Eucharistic Congress in Bombay, India, traveling from Rome with Pope Paul VI.
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