Menil exhibits salute Houston and New York
Two cities — New York and Houston — are currently being celebrated across two separate exhibitions on view at the Menil Collection: “Chryssa & New York” in the main building and “Resilience, Drawing the Line” by Marc Bauer in the Menil Drawing Institute.
When Chryssa Vardea-Mavromichali, who used the mononym Chryssa professionally, first visited New York in the 1950s, an artist friend brought her to Times Square within hours of stepping foot in the city. The explosion of lights and signage had a profound effect on the Greek-born artist.
“She was one of the first artists to incorporate neon into her practice,” said Menil director Rebecca Rabinow. “And was deeply under-known.”
The exhibition is seven years in the making. Many of Chryssa’s pieces were hidden away in private collections, though Dominique and John de Menil were early collectors. Their daughter Adelaide de Menil lent works for the show.
Chryssa’s work has not been on display in the U.S. since 1982, explained Menil senior curator Michelle White. She collaborated with Dia Art Foundation curator Megan Holly Witko on the exhibition, which begins in the west-facing hallway.
Don’t hurry past “Cycladic Books” (1957). Light patterns reveal subtle changes in the collection of plaster sculptures throughout the day.
“Chryssa liked to lay them flat, open, as books,” White said. “She anticipated minimalism and was always ahead.”
Another work, “Flight of Birds” (1957-1960), cast in aluminum, welcomes visitors into “Chryssa & New York,” where onlookers are immediately greeted by her most synonymous medium: neon.
“Times Square Sky” (1962) in aluminum, steel and electric blue neon introduces Times Square
as a through line of the show; New York is a second-billed character. Some of the letters are indiscernible. Most are scrapped metal signage used as a found material.
To the right, “First Preparatory Work for a Neon Box” (1962), in a tangle of red neon and plexiglass, spells out “USA.”
The next room contains the artist’s pièce de résistance. “The Gates to Times Square” (19641966) cast in aluminum, welded stainless steel, neon glass tubing, acrylic sheet and paper appears as a giant letter ‘A’ — as in 10 square feet.
“There’s a slight invitation to walk through it,” White said. When the piece debuted at Manhattan’s Pace Gallery in 1966 it caused quite a sensation, she added. Critics were divided. Some called it a “traffic jam.” Others were mesmerized. It was quickly deemed her most significant work.
Witko encouraged visitors to walk around “The Gates to Time Square” to absorb its full effect, paying special attention to a red, back layer.
The gallery is filled with neon boxes, though “Study for the Gates #2” (1966) may seem broken at first glance. “The dark flexiglass mimics a forlorn sky. There’s a lengthy amount of darkness, 27 seconds, to 3 seconds of light,” Witko said. “(Chryssa) might imagine us waiting for this moment, ‘Will it work? Will it turn on?’ ”
Veering left leads to the artist’s projection series and, notably, “Image of Arrow: Homage to Times Square” (1958). That year, after spending time in San Francisco and Europe, Chryssa committed to making New York her full-time home and studio. Witko notes the work’s handmade qualities, how each sculpture varies in size and width.
Around the corner is White’s favorite piece, “Five Variations on the Ampersand” (1966), which she describes as a “beautiful distillation.”
“Chryssa & New York” concludes as it began, with a tribute to Times Square. “Newspaper” (1962) contains a portrait of 22 offset lithographs, which glean imagery from newsprint. It’s a wink and nod to when Times Square was renamed in 1904 after the New York Times relocated its headquarters to the then newly constructed Times Building.
Closer to home
One block away, Marc Bauer’s wall drawing “Resilience” now covers Mel Bochner’s “Smudge.”
The fifth installment of the drawing institute’s ephemeral wall drawing series now spans 36 feet. The mural took the Swiss-based artist 10 days to create with charcoal and pastel. Bauer will return twice in 2024 to alter “Resilience.” Over time, the drawing will resemble a palimpsest, with visible traces of all changes made.
“He was fascinated by the images travel in art history and popular culture,” explained assistant curator Kelly Montana. “And tracing an iconography of domination and resistance across climate justice, migration policy and marginalized communities.”
Climate refugees flank either end of the mural. The middle, Montana said, is a dance party.
Houstonians will recognize familiar scenes throughout. There’s the downtown skyline and a familiar figure from Mary’s, the once iconic, nowshuttered gay bar in Montrose.
Bauer layers depictions of historic paintings over more contemporary natural disasters. He inserts panels of text, too, like excerpts from a graphic novel. “Some are specific memories, while others are observations,” Montana said. “His wall drawings feel specific to the place where they’re made. He thinks of the drawings as an event.”
Water is a consistent theme in his work. Evacuees on rafts reference Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Harvey.
As its name suggests, the work is ultimately about “Resilience.” Its center celebrates safe spaces for queer communities to gather.
Look for a woman with a tattoo on her shoulder. Bauer spotted her as he was walking through Johnson Space Center.
And be sure to leave a note on the way out. The artist plans to read visitor feedback before adding to “Resilience” in January.