Elena Vasari
Light studies in oil and atmosphere
My work explores the interplay between natural light and architectural space — the way morning sun transforms a stone facade, or how fog softens the geometry of a bridge.
Elena Vasari
Works in oil, mixed media, and plein air painting.
Selected Works
Distant View
2022Mountain Brook
2022Improvisation No. 30
2023Interior Light
2023Paris Street
2023Remembrance
2024
In the studio, 2024
About
Elena Vasari is a Chicago-based painter working primarily in oil, mixed media, and plein air. Her work explores the meeting points between natural light and architectural space — the way morning sun transforms a stone facade, the geometry that emerges when fog softens a bridge.
Born in Milan and raised between Italy and the United States, she earned her BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group shows throughout the Midwest and is held in private collections in Chicago, New York, and London.
She lives and works in Chicago.
Curriculum Vitae
Solo Exhibitions
- 2024 "Atmospheres" Vertex Gallery, Chicago
- 2022 "Quiet Light" Bridge Projects, Milwaukee
- 2020 "Plein Air: Northern Italy" Studio 415, Chicago
Group Exhibitions
- 2023 "Painters of the Midwest" Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago
- 2022 "New Work Now" Mana Contemporary, Chicago
- 2021 "Twelve Painters" Aurora Gallery, Madison
Awards & Residencies
- 2023 Vermont Studio Center Fellowship
- 2021 Illinois Arts Council Grant
- 2019 Ragdale Foundation Residency Lake Forest, IL
Education
- 2014 BFA Painting School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- 2010 Liceo Artistico Milan, Italy