Christy Grossmann

Chicago-area painter Christy Grossmann’s signature magical-realist portraits capture and celebrate the feminine mystique in all its myriad forms. “I love to paint femininity — the flowing hair and the bright colors,” she says. “There are so many cool things about women and what we do.”

Grossmann was born and raised in the Windy City suburb of Brookfield. While studying art education at Illinois State University, she focused on studio painting, and after earning her master’s degree in educational technology from Concordia University, she taught art to elementary students in Lombard, Ill. Grossmann made her Vertical Gallery debut via the 2021 group show ‘Atomic Number 13,’ and returned the following year for its sequel. She hit pause on her teaching career and gave birth to her first child in the months leading up to 2025’s ‘Something Lost; Something Gained,’ her first-ever solo gallery showcase.