Aribert "Ari" Munzner (January 9, 1930 – August 1, 2025) was a German-American artist. He was an

abstract painter Abstract art uses visual language of shape, form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. ''Abstract art'', ''non-figurative art'', ''non-objective art'', and ''non ...

.Connecting art and faith
by Joanna Reiling Lindell, Thrivent magazine, Fall 2021

Early life (1930–1955)

Munzner was born on January 9, 1930, in

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in southern Germany. In earlier times it was considered to be on both sides of the Upper Rhine, but since the Napoleonic Wars, it has been considered only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Ba ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, to Jewish parents. In 1937 his family fled Hitler's Germany to seek sanctuary with a family friend in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

. They managed to procure visas to the US in 1939 because his father had been born in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, and the quota for immigration from that country was not full, in contrast to Germany. They resettled first to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and then to Alton, New York. He got a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students pursuing a professional education in the visual arts, Fine art, or performing arts. In some instances, it is also called a Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA). Background ...

(BFA) at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

in 1953 and a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admi ...

(MFA) at

Cranbrook Academy of Art The Cranbrook Academy of Art, a graduate school for architecture, art, and design, was founded by George Gough Booth and Ellen Scripps Booth in 1932. It is the art school of the Cranbrook Educational Community. Located in Bloomfield Hills, Mi ...

in 1955. The title of his MFA thesis was "Art Cannot be Taught".

Career (1955–1994)

In 1955 Munzner became a professor at

Minneapolis College of Art and Design The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) is a private college specializing in the visual arts and located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. MCAD currently enrolls approximately 800 students. MCAD is one of just a few major art schools to offer ...

(MCAD), where he continued to teach full time until 1993. He also served in many administrative roles in his years at MCAD, ranging from slide librarian in the 1950sMid-Century Visions, Programmed Affinities: The Enduring Challenges of Image Classification
by Diana Kamin

Journal of Visual Culture The ''Journal of Visual Culture'' is a triannual peer-reviewed academic journal that covers the field of visual arts. The editor-in-chief is Marquard Smith (Royal College of Art). It was established in 2002 and is published by SAGE Publications. ...

, 16(3), pp 310–336 to dean of faculty in the 1990s.Profile of an artist
by Jason Wolf, The Wedge, August 1997 In 1994, he became professor emeritus and retired from undergraduate teaching but continued to mentor graduate students. He fully retired from teaching in 2005, to devote his full time to painting. In 1988 he was awarded an Honorary MFA at that same institution. He studied with photomicroscopist

Roman Vishniac Roman Vishniac (; ; August 19, 1897 – January 22, 1990) was a Russian-American photographer, best known for capturing on film the culture of Jews in Central and Eastern Europe before the Holocaust. A major archive of his work was housed at t ...

.A 90-year-old Minneapolis artist lost it all in a protest fire — he’s ready to start over
By PJ Grisar, The

Jewish Daily Forward ''The Forward'' (), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ''The New York Times'' reported that Set ...

, June 4, 2020 He embarked on his decades long Genesis project which involved creating vibrant bursts of color resembling galaxies on canvas, and also encompassing monochromatic drawings with minimal elements that resemble magnified images of cells.His work ruined in rioting, a 90-year-old Minneapolis artist starts anew
By Alicia Eler, Minneapolis Star Tribune June 10, 2020 He has mentored many other artists including Hend al-MansourOn Topic: MFA Episode Three
by Hend Al-Mansour, MCAD News & Press, Sep 29, 2020 and Leah Golberstein. Munzner was a visiting artist at the following institutions: :1995:

Saint Cloud State University St. Cloud State University (SCSU) is a public university in St. Cloud, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1869, the university is one of the largest institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. In the fall of 2023, it ...

:1982:

North Carolina School of the Arts The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is a public art school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It grants a high school diploma, in addition to both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Founded in 1963 as the North Carolina Sc ...

:1979:

Kansas City Art Institute The Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) is a private art school in Kansas City, Missouri. The college was founded in 1885 and is an accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and Higher Learning Commission. The institute ...

:1976:

University of Minnesota Duluth The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) is a public university in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the University of Minnesota System. UMD offers 17 bachelor's degrees in 87 majors, graduate programs in 24 different fields, a tw ...

:1974:

Yale School of Art The Yale School of Art is the art school of Yale University. Founded in 1869 as the first professional fine arts school in the United States, it grants Master of Fine Arts, Masters of Fine Arts degrees to students completing a two-year course in g ...

:1972:

University of New Orleans The University of New Orleans (UNO) is a Public university, public research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. First opened in 1958 as Louisiana State University in New Orleans, it is the largest public university and one of t ...

:1970:

Nova Scotia College of Art and Design NSCAD University, also known as the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD), is a public university, public art school, art university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university is a co-educational institution tha ...

Later years

On May 29, 2020, during riots in Minneapolis sparked by the

murder of George Floyd On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old White police officer. Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk reported that he made a purchase using a c ...

, the Hexagon Bar was engulfed in flames. The fire spread next door to The Ivy, a century old building that housed the studio of Aribert Munzner along with many other artists. Due to water damage, many works from his 60-year career, including much of the Genesis Project, were damaged.The Wisdom Project: Aribert Munzner

Moment Magazine ''Moment'' is an independent magazine which focuses on the life of the American Jewish community. It is not tied to any particular Jewish movement or ideology. The publication features investigative stories and cultural criticism, highlighting th ...

, Summer 2022 Sizing up the catastrophic loss the ever optimistic Munzner said, "I’m starting again because that’s what I’ve been doing all my life," and then added, "Each moment is a magic moment". He died on August 1, 2025, at the age of 95.Aribert Paul Munzner (Ari)
/ref>

Personal life

His daughter is computer scientist Tamara Munzner.

Selected exhibitions

* 2016: ''Contemporary Iconographies'' (two-person exhibition), Vine Arts Center Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota * 2005: ''Abstract Painting in Minnesota'', Selected Works from 1930 to Present (invitational group),

Rochester Art Center The Rochester Art Center is a contemporary arts center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States. The Center offers exhibitions of local, national and international art, as well as tours, classes, and workshops. Founded in 1946, the Center opened in ...

, Rochester, MN;

Minnesota Museum of American Art The Minnesota Museum of American Art ("The M") is an American art museum located in the Historic Pioneer Endicott building in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The museum holds more than 5,000 artworks that showcase the unique voice of American artists from ...

, St. Paul Minnesota * 2005: California Building Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota * 2002: ''Retrospective'', MUM University Gallery, Fairfield, Iowa * 1999: Dolly Fiterman Fine Arts Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota (also 1998, 1984, 1982, 1978) * 1993: FISEA-Fourth International Symposium on Electronic Art (invitational group),

* 1988: ''CRASH: ComputeR-AssiSted Hardcopy'' (invitational group),

Wright Museum of Art The Wright Museum of Art is a small art museum maintained and operated by Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin. It houses a collection of approximately 6,000 objects, has five gallery spaces, and provides training for undergraduate students in muse ...

, Beloit, Wisconsin * 1987: ''Simulations/Dissimulations'' (invitational group), The School of the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

* 1987: Intermedia Arts Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota * 1985: ''Electronic Visions II'' (invitational group),

Contemporary Arts Center The Contemporary Arts Center (abbreviated CAC) is a contemporary art museum in Cincinnati, Ohio and one of the first contemporary art institutions in the United States. The CAC is a non-collecting museum that focuses on new developments in pain ...

, New Orleans, Louisiana * 1984: ''Allvision'', with Woody/Steina Vasulka,

Science Museum of Minnesota The Science Museum of Minnesota is a museum in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, focused on topics in technology, natural history, physical science, and mathematics education. Founded in 1907, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit institution has 38 ...

* 1982: New Acquisitions Gallery, Syracuse, New York * 1982:

, Winston-Salem, North Carolina (also 1978) * 1979:

, Foundation Division Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri * 1977: St. Catherine College Gallery (two-person exhibition), St. Paul, Minnesota * 1975: ''Retrospective'',

Tweed Museum of Art The Tweed Museum of Art is a museum on the campus of the University of Minnesota Duluth, in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. The Tweed Museum of Art was established in 1950 when Alice Tweed Tuohy, widow of George P. Tweed, donated their house a ...

, Duluth, Minnesota * 1971:

Walker Art Center The Walker Art Center is a multidisciplinary contemporary art center in the Lowry Hill, Minneapolis, Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is one of the most-visited modern and contemporary art museums in ...

, Minneapolis, Minnesota * 1969: Northrop Gallery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota * 1968: Gilman Gallery, Chicago, Illinois * 1965: The Little Gallery, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, Minnesota * 1954: Contemporary Arts Gallery (group show), New York City, New York

Books

* January 2000: ''Aribert Munzner: Teacher, Colleague, Artist'', Minneapolis College of Art and Design Press, Aribert Munzner: Teacher, Colleague, Artist
by MCAD Press, June 30, 2000

References

External links

Aribert Munzner's home page

The Mythology of Cosmology by Aribert Munzner

ideo IDEO () is a design firm, design and consulting firm with offices in the U.S., England, and China. It was founded in Palo Alto, California, in 1991. The company's 500 staff uses a design thinking approach to design products, services, environmen ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munzner, Aribert 1930 births 2025 deaths Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts alumni Cranbrook Academy of Art alumni 21st-century American painters 20th-century American painters German abstract painters American abstract painters Jewish American artists German Holocaust survivors People from Mannheim