Chryssa
1933, Athens — 2013, Athens
Chryssa (Chryssa Vardea-Mavromichali) was a Greek-American artist, who is best known for her monumental assemblages of neon tubes and large- scale minimalist paintings on canvas. Her work refers to early characteristics of Pop Art, Minimalism and Conceptual Art. Today, Chryssa is considered an important representative of these artistic movements and an early pioneer in light art. After studying at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris and the California School of Fine Arts, she moved to New York in 1958. Her first solo exhibition at Betty Parsons Gallery in 1961 quickly led to a major show at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Throughout her career, Chryssa was represented by prestigious galleries such as Leo Castelli, Pace, and Denise René. Her work was showcased at renowned institutions, including MoMA, Guggenheim, the Whitney Museum, Tate Modern, Documenta, and the Venice Biennial. Chryssa passed away in Athens in 2013.
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Selected solo exhibitions
2026 Blue Velvet, Madrid ES
2024 Wrightwood 659, Chicago USA
2023 Menil Collection, Houston USA
2023 Dia Foundation, NY USA
2022 - 2023 MOMus-Museum Alex Mylona, Athens GR
2022 Blue Velvet Projects, Zürich CH
2017 Documenta XVI, Kassel, Germany BE
2007 Hirshhorn Museum, Washington D.C., USA
2005 Mihalarias Art Centre, Athens GR
1997 Leo Castelli Gallery, New York USA
1990 Mihalarias Art Center, Athens GR
1988 Leo Castelli Gallery, New York USA
1979 Musée d'art moderne, Paris FR
1977 Documenta VI, Kassel DE
1974 Museum of Modern Art, Montreal CA
1973 Galerie Denis René, New York USA
1972 Whitney Museum of American Art, New York USA
1972 Venice Biennial, Venice IT
1970 Whitney Annual (now Biennial), New York, USA
1970 Galleria d’Arte Contemporanea, Torino IT
1969 Obelisk Gallery, Boston USA
1969 Galerie Rive Droite, Paris FR
1969 Galerie der Spiegel, Cologne DE
1968 Documenta IV, Kassel DE
1968 Walker Art Center, Minneapolis USA
1968 Harvard University, Cambridge GB
1966 Pace Gallery, New York USA
1966 Whitney Annual (now Biennial), New York USA
1965 Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia USA
1963 The Museum of Modern Art, New York USA
1963 Sao Paolo Biennial, Sao Paolo BR
1962 Cordier & Ekstrom, New York USA
1962 Whitney Annual (now Biennial), New York USA
1961 Guggenheim Museum, New York USA
Selected collections
Albright-Knox Art Gallery, New York USA
Boca Raton Museum of Art, Florida USA
Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA
Nelson A. Rockefeller Art Collection, New York USA
Hirshhorn Museum, Washington D.C., USA
The Museum of Modern Art, New York USA
National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens GR
National Gallery of Athens GR
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis USA
Whitney Museum of American Art, USA
Menil Collection, Texas USA
Museum of Modern Art, New York USA
Tate Gallery, London GB
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam NL
Collection Herbert Lust, Connecticut USA
Indianapolis Museum of Art, USA
Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki GR
Metternich Sammlung, Koblenz DE
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The American Atelier (solo) 6 March — 4 April 2026
ARCO Madrid (group) 4 — 8 March 2026
Artissima Turin (group) October 31 — November 2 2025
Art Genève (group) 30 January — 2 February 2025
Homeric Wisdom (solo)
28 November 2024 — 15 February 2025
The Armory Show (solo) 6 — 8 September 2024 -
Barbara Rose: Chryssa: Cycladic Books 1957 — 1962, Greece, 1997
Douglas Schultz: Chryssa. Cityscapes, London, 1990
Douglas Schultz: Chryssa: Urban Icons, Buffalo, 1983
Pierre Restany: Chryssa, New York, 1977
Sam Hunter: Chryssa, New York, 1974
Diane Waldman: Chryssa. Selected Works 1955 — 1967, New York, 1968
Krispy Kreme, 2009 - 2010 Metal paint with neon tube 84 x 94 x 40.5 cm
Classifieds II, 1953 Oil with stamp prints on paper 60 x 45,5 cm
Cycladic Books (L), 1957 - 1962 Plaster, cardboard 99 x 72 x 4 cm
Untitled (dark blue on deep blue advert stamps "Florida $89"), 1959 Oil with stamp prints on paper 55 x 56 cm
Blue "Hamburger Heaven/Ice Cream Parlour" (BUR), 2009 - 2010 Painted aluminium, neon tube 118 x 92 x 40 cm