175 Canal Street, New York


Bettina

Bettina (1927–2021), a conceptual artist born in Brooklyn, lived and worked in the Chelsea Hotel from the 1970s until her death, creating a substantial body of work over several decades. Influenced by mathematical theory and Jewish mysticism, she captured the rhythmic patterns of urban life in New York City. Her series PHENOMENOLOGICAL NEW YORK (c. 1970s–1980s) showcases her unique vision of the city, refracted through mirrored building facades, where architectural elements buckle, twist, and fragment into patterns. Bettina arranged these images in linear montages or grids, revealing what she considered “invisible secrets” of newly perceived spatial dimensions. 

Recent solo and two-person exhibitions include Ulrik, New York (2024), Césure, Festival d’Automne, Paris (2023); The Hessel Museum, Annandale-on-Hudson (2023); and Les Recontres d’Arles (2022). Recent group exhibitions include Kunsthalle Bielefeld (2023), Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2023), GREATER NEW YORK, MoMA PS1, New York (2021), and A RAFT, the Museum of Modern Art, New York (2021). The monograph Bettina was published in 2022 by Aperture, New York, and Atelier EXB, Paris. This book was developed by Yto Barrada and designer Gregor Huber in collaboration with Bettina up until her death in November 2021.




Selected Press

Works