IYP X The Menil Collection, Houston
Chryssa and New York
Curated by: Megan Holly Witko & Michelle White
This exhibition presents the innovative art made by the Greek-born artist Chryssa (1933–2013) while she was living in New York City from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. Renowned for her adoption of industrial process, found commercial materials and early work with neon light, she stands at the forefront of American art in the wake of World War II. Responding to her urban environment, she was particularly interested in the intersection of art and everyday life.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is The Gates to Times Square, 1966, on loan from the Buffalo AKG Art Museum. Restored for this show, the towering sculpture of neon and metal pays homage to the commercial signage and dazzling lights of New York City’s famous intersection, a space that inspired the artist throughout her career. The presentation will also include neon studies related to The Gates, large-scale text-based paintings, and sculptural works that harness natural light and were influenced by ancient Mediterranean art.
This exhibition, which brings together major loans from North American and European museums and collections, is co-organized by the Menil Collection, Houston, and Dia Art Foundation, New York. It is the first major survey of the artist’s work in the United States in more than fifty years and will be accompanied by a scholarly publication edited by exhibition cocurators Michelle White and Megan Witko. Following its presentation in New York and Houston, the exhibition will travel to Wrightwood 659, Chicago.
Chryssa (Vardea) (1933-2013)
Les Toyota Sales
neon and oil on canvas, wooden frame
133.5 x 94.5 x 17 cm
Irene Y. Panagopoulos Collection
Chryssa (Vardea) (1933-2013)
The gates of Times Square, New York, 1965
neon lights, plexiglass, neon sculpture with timer in plexiglass box, red, yellow, green and blue
114.3 x 94 x 71.2 cm
Irene Y. Panagopoulos Collection
Chryssa (Vardea) (1933-2013)
Classified, 1960
oil on canvas, neon light
132.5 x 94 x 19 cm
Irene Y. Panagopoulos Collection
Chryssa (Vardea) (1933-2013)
Cycladic Movement
wood, neon light, plexiglas
90 x 90 x 20 cm
Irene Y. Panagopoulos Collection
Chryssa (Vardea) (1933-2013)
Newspaper Portfolio, 1962
22 silkscreen prints on vellum (coated cotton vellum)
87 x 63.5 cm each
