Kay Kurz
A native of Germany, Kay Kurz (1922-2015) immigrated to the United States in 1938 at the age of 16. She studied at the City College of New York and Iowa State University. She received her B.A. from Alverno College in Milwaukee.
Her experiences living in Hitler’s Germany are reflected in many of her earliest paintings. She went through many different stages in her work, with inspiration coming from a range of sources, including trips to Italy and flowers in her own backyard. Kay particularly loved to experiment with color, form and subjective moods. “Color,” she said, “has an endless range of possibilities and variance, and I find a particular pleasure in exploring it.”
In 1985 and 1988, Kurz was the recipient of fellowships from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She exhibited extensively throughout Wisconsin and was a lecturer of Art (emeritus) for more than twenty-five years at Carroll College (now Carroll University) in Waukesha.
Kurz donated one of her favorite paintings from her collection titled Festival of the Spirit. “It’s from a period in my painting when I dealt with imaginative and fantastic images.” Kay’s swirling ribbons of color, the patterns and dancing movement in this painting, make you feel like you are at a festival. As you study this unique piece located near the Teen Zone, you can’t help but smile and enjoy the fun. Acquired in 2011.