Chryssa & New York on view at Wrightwood 659

Greek-born Artist Chryssa (1933–2013), a pivotal figure of the 20th century who influenced her better-known contemporaries

This spring, Wrightwood 659 hosts Chryssa & New York, the first museum exhibition in North America in more than four decades to focus on the Greek-born artist Chryssa (1933–2013). Co-organized by Dia Art Foundation and the Menil Collection, Houston, in collaboration with Alphawood Foundation, the critically acclaimed exhibition makes the final stop on its national tour at Wrightwood 659 (659 W. Wrightwood Avenue in Chicago) from May 3 through July 27, 2024. Related expert-led public programming will accompany the exhibition.

As an immigrant, a woman, and a queer artist, Chryssa—who used only her first name professionally—became a leading figure of the New York art world in the 1950s and ’60s within avant-garde circles. She developed an innovative approach to activating sculptural surfaces through subtle manipulations of light and shadow. Pathbreaking in its use of signage, text, and neon, her vastly underrecognized body of work bridges Pop, Conceptual, and Minimalist ideas of art making. Focusing on Chryssa’s output while she was based in New York from the late 1950s to the early 1970s, the exhibition includes more than 80 works, as well as archival documents and highlights the artist’s critical interest in exploring the United States following World War II.

Admission is $15

More information: https://wrightwood659.org