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The Artistic Legacy of Joseph Kriss

Joseph Kriss Portrait Taken in May 1989

About Joseph P. Kriss

Joseph P. Kriss was professor of medicine and radiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. He joined the Stanford faculty in 1948 and served as chief of its Division of Nuclear Medicine from 1958 to 1989. Dr. Kriss was a pioneer in radioisotope disease diagnosis and was involved in the design and development of state-of-the-art visualization technology for radioisotopic angiocardiography.

Joe's career as an artist mirrored his medical career, spanning over 40 years from 1946 to his death in 1989. His extensive body of artwork — which ranged from oil paintings to sculpture, miniatures and pioneering experimentation with digital art and fractals — has been exhibited in 15 one-man shows, including the Stanford University Art Gallery, Smith-Andersen Gallery, Dorothy Goldeen Gallery, and a 20-year retrospective in 1978.

Collection Scope & Distribution

Exhibition Historical Timeline Data Chart

Joseph Kriss' works are in many private collections in the Bay Area and in Montreal, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Portland, Fairbanks, Paris, Kyoto and Jerusalem, as well as the Museum of Northern Arizona. In Silicon Valley, his work may be found in the collections of Syntex Corporation, Alza Corporation, Syva Corporation and on display at the Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine at Stanford University.

Solo and Group Exhibitions Chronology

Year Exhibition Details
1950Group exhibition, students of Jon Cornin, Gump's Gallery, San Francisco
1955Solo exhibition (oil paintings), Lucien Labaudt Gallery, San Francisco
1961Solo exhibition (oil paintings), Stanford University Art Gallery, Stanford, CA
1966Solo exhibition (oil paintings), Los Robles Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
1966Solo exhibition (oil paintings), Encina Gallery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
1968Solo exhibition (oil paintings), Los Robles Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
1971Solo exhibition (bronze sculptures and oil paintings), Los Robles Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
1972Solo exhibition (oil paintings), Herbert Hoover House, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
1973Solo exhibition (oil paintings and drawings), Los Robles Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
1974Solo exhibition (oil paintings), Stanford University Faculty Club, Stanford, CA
1974Joint exhibition (oil paintings) with Alan Raphael (sculpture), Los Robles Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
1978Solo Twenty Year Retrospective Exhibition (oil paintings, drawings, bronze and cast resin sculptures), Syntex Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
1985"Zepa's Studio" group exhibition with grandsons Jesse and Aaron Kriss (gouache paintings), Stanford University Faculty Club, Stanford, CA
1985Solo exhibition ("Warriors, Chieftains and Totems", wood sculptures), Nieman-Marcus, Stanford Center, Stanford, CA
1985Solo exhibition (monotypes and oil paintings), Los Robles Gallery, Palo Alto, CA — concurrent with Smith-Andersen
1985Solo exhibition ("Warriors of the High Tech", wood sculptures), Smith-Andersen Gallery, Palo Alto, CA — concurrent with Los Robles
1988-89Solo exhibition ("Whimsies Ancient and Modern", computer-generated art), Stanford University Hospital, Stanford, CA