Kirsten Kraa

Kirsten Kraa
Born(1941-04-02)April 2, 1941
Munich, Germany
DiedSeptember 6, 2020(2020-09-06) (aged 79)
West Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma materDouglass College
Known forPainting

Kirsten Walja Kraa (April 2, 1941 – September 6, 2020) was a German-born American painter and art educator whose work combined stylized figurative imagery with bold graphic compositions. Best known for her recurring “Everyman” or “pumpkin-head” figure, she exhibited professionally for six decades in New York, New Jersey, and nationally. Her paintings are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Connecticut.[1][2]

Kraa studied at Douglass College, Rutgers University, where she was mentored by artist Roy Lichtenstein.[3] While still a student, her work attracted the attention of William Seitz, Assistant Curator at MoMA, who acquired one of her paintings.[4] She later taught at Boonton High School in New Jersey for more than 30 years, influencing generations of young artists through her teaching and mentorship.[5][6]

Early life and education

Kraa was born on April 2, 1941, in Munich, Germany, to Tom Kraa, an artist and actor, and Walja Svagul, an actress and singer.[5] She spent her early childhood in Europe before emigrating to the United States in 1956.

She attended Nürnberg American High School in Germany, then Fort Lee High School and Butler High School in New Jersey, where she was a member of the National Honor Society.[7]

Kraa earned a B.A. in Art in 1963 and an M.F.A. in 1965 from Douglass College, Rutgers University.[7][8] As a student, she was mentored by Roy Lichtenstein, then assistant professor at Douglass College.[3] In January 1963, during a senior critique attended by prominent critics, William Seitz, Assistant Curator at MoMA, purchased one of her paintings.[4] Kraa’s early paintings frequently juxtaposed bold, graphic renderings of everyday objects with stylized human heads—imagery that evolved into her later “Everyman” motif.[8]

Career

In 1964, she won third place in the New Jersey Tercentenary art competition; by March she had simultaneous solo shows in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles—an unusual feat for an artist in her early twenties.[8] Although critics sometimes associated her with Pop Art, Kraa rejected the label, saying simply: “It’s my art.”[8] She credited Roy Lichtenstein as a formative influence.[3]

Kraa’s paintings entered the permanent collections of MoMA[1] and the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.[2] MoMA lists Untitled (1964), acquired via the Larry Aldrich Foundation Fund; the museum’s records include the work in Recent Acquisitions: Painting and Sculpture (1965).[9]

She exhibited in New Jersey institutions including the Newark Museum, the Morris Museum, and Studio Montclair, and remained active in the state’s arts community until her death in 2020.[6]

Teaching career

From 1964 to 1965, Kraa served as a teaching assistant in the Department of Art at Douglass College.[10] She later worked as a substitute teacher at Verona High School (1974–1980) before returning to Montclair State College for her teaching certification.[6] In 1982, she joined the faculty at Boonton High School, where she taught art for more than 30 years and was affectionately known to students as “Kraa.”[5][6]

Selected exhibitions

  • 1964 – MFA Thesis Exhibition, Douglass College Art Gallery, New Brunswick, NJ[8]
  • 1964 – Solo exhibition, New York City[8]
  • 1964 – Solo exhibition, Chicago[8]
  • 1964 – Solo exhibition, Los Angeles[8]
  • 1965 – Recent Acquisitions: Painting and Sculpture, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY[9]
  • Date unknown – Group exhibitions, Newark Museum, Newark, NJ[6]
  • Date unknown – Group exhibitions, Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ[6]
  • Date unknown – Group exhibitions, Studio Montclair, Montclair, NJ[6]

Collections

Legacy

Kraa’s work is remembered for its distinctive “Everyman” or “pumpkin-head” figure, used across six decades to explore themes of identity, humanity, and universality.[4][8] While she resisted the Pop Art label, her bold compositions and everyday imagery drew comparisons to contemporaries such as Roy Lichtenstein.[3]

As an educator, she mentored generations of students at Boonton High School, many of whom went on to careers in the arts.[5][6] Following her death in 2020, obituaries and tributes in local and regional media recognized both her professional achievements and her role in the New Jersey arts community.[5][6] Kraa’s artistic estate and archive are maintained by her son, Illya D'Addezio, who serves as executor and continues to document, research, and promote her work through exhibitions and digital archiving.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Kirsten Kraa". Museum of Modern Art. New York. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
  2. ^ a b c "Aldrich Fund Acquisitions for the Museum of Modern Art 1959–1969". Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. Ridgefield, CT. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
  3. ^ a b c d Joan M. Marter, ed. (2019). "Kirsten Kraa (pp. 49–52)". Women Artists on the Leading Edge: Visual Arts at Douglass College. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 9780813593340.
  4. ^ a b c Brown, Doris (January 13, 1963). "Douglass Seniors' Art Scores with Critics". The Sunday Times. New Brunswick, NJ. Coverage of a Douglass College senior critique at which MoMA curator William Seitz took interest in Kraa's work and inquired about purchase.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Kirsten W. Kraa Obituary". Legacy.com / The Star-Ledger. September 2020. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Citrano, Virginia (September 10, 2020). "Kirsten W. Kraa, Renowned Artist". MyVeronaNJ. Retrieved 2025-08-09. Notes Verona substitute teaching (1974–1980), Montclair State certification, and Boonton tenure beginning in 1982; also references institutional exhibitions.
  7. ^ a b "Kirsten Kraa résumé (1963)". Family archive (scanned document). Lists secondary schools, B.A. (1963), early recognition, and skills; used only to support non-controversial biographical details.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Brown, Doris E. (December 6, 1964). "Rutgers Artist Calls Her Work 'Art'". The Sunday Times. New Brunswick, NJ. Profile accompanying Kraa's MFA thesis exhibition; notes NJ Tercentenary third place and simultaneous solo shows in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
  9. ^ a b c "Recent Acquisitions: Painting and Sculpture – Master Checklist (1965)" (PDF). Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
  10. ^ "Notice of Appointment – Teaching Assistant (Rutgers University)". Family archive (scanned document). May 21, 1964. Confirms 1964–65 Douglass College TA appointment.
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