Irving Kriesberg (1919–2009) was a visionary American painter and printmaker whose work fused expressionist energy with spiritual symbolism and global consciousness. Born in Chicago, Kriesberg developed his artistic sensibility by sketching taxidermy specimens at the Field Museum of Natural History—a formative experience that sparked his lifelong interest in animals and the mysteries of the natural world. This early fascination would inform a body of work where human and animal forms coexisted in dreamlike, theatrical environments.

Kriesberg studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and later immersed himself in Mexico’s politically vibrant art scene. There he studied at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas, exhibited with the Taller de Gráfica Popular, and embraced a synthesis of Expressionism and social realism. By the time he moved to New York in 1945, Kriesberg had developed a unique figurative style that combined bold color, mythic themes, and spiritual inquiry. His work was soon championed by dealer Curt Valentin, and in 1952 he was included in MoMA’s landmark exhibition 15 Americans alongside Rothko, Pollock, and Clyfford Still.

Throughout his career, Kriesberg remained deeply engaged with global cultures and spiritual traditions. A Fulbright Fellowship brought him to India in the 1960s, where he studied Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism—experiences that transformed his artistic vision and introduced new layers of symbolism into his paintings. He continued to explore Eastern thought and aesthetic philosophies at the Naropa Institute in Colorado and later while living in Japan. These encounters enriched his work with nuanced spiritual narratives, hybrid figures, and vibrant color fields that defied easy classification.

Kriesberg’s work straddles multiple traditions—American Figurative Expressionism, visionary art, and intercultural mysticism—without ever fully conforming to one. His images often feature humanoid and animal hybrids, theatrical prosceniums, and liminal spaces that invite the viewer into what he called a “psychic field.” Drawing from both Eastern and Western iconography, Kriesberg constructed a symbolic universe that explored themes of duality, transformation, and the interconnectedness of all beings.

Over the course of his career, Kriesberg exhibited widely in the U.S. and abroad, with more than forty solo exhibitions. His work is held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, among others. A passionate educator and lifelong seeker, Kriesberg left behind a legacy that continues to inspire dialogue about art’s power to bridge cultures, transcend binaries, and awaken the human spirit.