Chryssa

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Chryssa

Chryssa (also: Vardea M. Chryssa , born Chryssa Vardea Mavromichali ; Greek Χρύσα Βαρδέα Μαυρομιχάλη ; * December 31, 1933 in Athens ; † December 23, 2013 ibid) was a Greek - American painter , sculptor and graphic artist who has worked since lived in the United States in the 1950s. She is considered an important representative of minimalism and conceptual art .

life and work

Vardea Chryssa was born in Athens to the well-known Mavromichalis family from Mani . The poet and writer Nikos Kazantzakis was one of the family's friends . Before her studies she worked, among other things, as a social worker , but always painted and drew in her free time.

From 1953 to 1954 she studied at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris . There she met André Breton , Edgard Varèse and Max Ernst and had lessons from Alberto Giacometti , who was a visiting professor at the university. In 1954 she went to the USA and studied from 1954 to 1955 at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco . In 1957, she settled in New York and took American citizenship.

Her early works are clay reliefs in the tradition of Minimal Art plaster letters, which she exhibited in showcases. From 1956 to 1961 she dealt with letters as symbols of communication, which she created in series such as “ Deltoi, Tablets, Newspapers ” and “ Projections ”.

In 1961 she began to work with neon light installations, making her a pioneer in the field of light art . The installations followed constructivist principles, she created rhythmic rows of right-angled, circular and semicircular neon tubes . With these installations she created spatial drawings out of light. These include, among others, “ The Gates to Times Square ” from 1964 to 1966, or “ Study for he Gates ” from 1967. With four of these installations and the associated construction drawings, she took part in the 4th documenta in Kassel in 1968 .

In the 1980s and later, she created baroque-style installations made of aluminum , plastic and neon tubes, which move in the border area between minimalism, concept art and pop art .

Important exhibitions and collections

Mott Street (1983), wall object in the Athens metro station Evangelismos.

Solo exhibitions

Group exhibitions

Collections

Literature and Sources

  • Exhibition catalog for the IV. Documenta: IV. Documenta. International exhibition . Catalog: Volume 1: (Painting and Sculpture); Volume 2: (Graphics / Objects). Kassel 1968
  • Diane Waldman: Chryssa: Selected Works 1955-1967. Pace Gallery, New York 1968, ISBN 0-93860-821-5
  • Sam Hunter: Chryssa. Harry N. Abrams, New York, 1974, ISBN 0-50022-018-2
  • Pierre Restany : Chryssa. Harry N. Abrams, New York 1977, ISBN 0-81090-366-0
  • Douglas Schultz: Chryssa: Urban Icons. Albright-Knox, Buffalo 1983, ISBN 0-91478-247-9
  • Douglas Schultz: Chryssa: Cityscapes. Thames & Hudson, London 1990, ISBN 0-50009-209-5
  • Karin Stengel: documenta IV 1968 International Exhibition - A photographic reconstruction. (Series of publications from the documenta archive). Bremen 2007, ISBN 978-3-86108-524-9

Web links

Commons : Chryssa  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Chryssa
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Chryssa, Vardea M .; Chryssa, Varden M .; Mavromichali, Chryssa Vardea
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Greek-American painter, sculptor and graphic artist
DATE OF BIRTH December 31, 1933
PLACE OF BIRTH Athens , Greece
DATE OF DEATH December 23, 2013
Place of death Athens , Greece