Rena Papaspyrou was born in 1938 in Athens. She studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1956 – 1963) under Yiannis Moralis and continued her studies in Paris at the École des Beaux-arts (1961 – 1967). Her work includes painting, ready-mades and installations – environments.

She has presented her work in solo exhibitions since 1966 in Greece and abroad (her first solo exhibitions were held at the Galerie des Beaux-arts in Paris (1966), the Astor gallery in Athens (1967), the Desmos gallery in 1977, 1979, 1982 etc.). She has also taken part in group exhibitions and international events, including the exhibition Plastics in Art at the Hellenic American Union, Athens (1971), the  Avanguardia e Sperimentazione at the Galleria Civica, in Modena and Venice (1978), the XII Festival International de la Peinture in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France (1981), the Europalia ’82 in Antwerp, Belgium, the Sao Paulo Biennale (1983), the tribute Reminiscences – Transformations – Quests which was held at the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum in Athens (1985), the Art Athina (1995, 2001, 2003, 2005), the exhibition The Years of Defiance: Art of the 70’s in Greece at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, etc.

Rena Papaspyrou has been teaching at the Athens School of Fine Arts since 1993 (currently an Emeritus Professor).