“Zara Kriegstein: A Thousand Points of Light”

Saturday, October 17:

Opening Day: 10am-5pm
Pubic Reception: 12-2pm
(Refreshments provided by The Women’s Board of the Museum of New Mexico)

“Zara Kriegstein: A Thousand Points of Light” celebrates the work and legacy of one of the unsung muralists and painter-historians to emerge from Northern New Mexico in the late 20th century – Zara Kriegstein (1952–2009). The exhibition brings together her paintings, prints, and large-scale public art, highlighting her dedication to themes of justice, power, loss, memory, and human desire.

Born in West Berlin, Kriegstein came of age in a physically and ideologically divided environment. Early experiences of political tension in Cold War Germany laid the foundation for Kriegstein’s artistic practice, which was dedicated to exploring themes of justice, power, loss, memory, and human desire. Working across painting, print media, and public murals, Kriegstein created bold, research-driven work about the forces that shape individual lives and communities. After arriving in New Mexico in the late 1970s, she found a landscape and cultural history that resonated with her longstanding interest in human civilization, morality, and social responsibility. Over three decades, she brought the perspective of an outsider and immigrant to her work, alongside a deep commitment to research, writing, and community organizing.

Lead Image:
Zara Kriegstein, “The Shallow Breakfast,” 1991, color lithograph, 24 x 18 15/16 in., collection of the New Mexico Museum of Art, gift of Robert M. Bell & Stirling M. Puck, 1991 (1991.89.9), © Bell Family Collection, photo by Addison Doty