Longo was born in 1953 in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Long Island. During his childhood he had a fascination with mass media; movies, television, magazines, and comic books, which continue to influence his art.
Longo began college at the University of North Texas, in the town of Denton, but left before earning a degree. He later studied sculpture under Leonda Finke, who encouraged him to pursue a career in the visual arts. In 1972, Longo received a grant to study at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, Italy. Upon his return to New York, Longo enrolled at Buffalo State College, where he received a BFA in 1975. While at Buffalo State, he studied under art professor Joseph Piccillo. At this time he was in a romantic relationship with artist Cindy Sherman, who was also studying art at Buffalo State.
While in college, Longo and friends established a contemporary art gallery in their co-op building called the Essex Art Center, which eventually became Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center. Through his gallery efforts, Longo met many local and New York City artists and eventually moved to New York City to participate in the No Wave art scene of the late-1970s and befriended artists and critics involved with the journal Effects: Magazine for New Art Theory.
