Chris DAZE Ellis was born in 1962 in New York. He began his prolific career painting New York City subway cars in 1976 while attending the High School of Art and Design. He remains one of the rare artists of his generation to successfully make the transition from the metro to the studio. His first group exhibition was the landmark exhibition “Beyond Words” at the Mudd Club in 1981.

Soon after, his first solo exhibition took place at Fashion Moda, an influential alternative art space in the South Bronx. A year later, the Sammlung Ludwig in Aachen, Germany, acquired the first of several paintings for its permanent collection.

Since then, he has participated in numerous solo exhibitions in cities such as Paris, Monte Carlo, Singapore, Beijing, Florence and Buenos Aires. Ellis’ work has continued to be included in numerous group exhibitions and museum surveys internationally.

Notable solo exhibitions include Sidney Janis Gallery, NY, 1984, Lichtenstein Palace, Feldkirch, Austria, 1999, Musée d’art Moderne, Nice, France, 1999, Galleria del Palazzo, Florence, Italy, 1998 , Fortune Cookie Projects, Singapore, 2010, Addison Gallery of American art at The Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, 2014, The Museum of the City of New York, New York, The Russ Berrie Medical Science Pavillion at Columbia University, 2018. Gallery PPOW, New York, 2018.