Zdeněk Kříž (1950, Prague - 2016, New York) trained in painting and design at Prague’s School of Applied Arts and later studied film technology. Early in his career, he created bold visual work for the Theatre of Film and Music—until the 1970s, when his politically charged paintings and satirical ink drawings led to a government ban on exhibiting. In the mid-70s, he joined the legendary Laterna Magika, touring across Europe and Canada. During a 1983 tour, he hid his canvases in costume bins and defected in Belgium, eventually settling in New York City. There, while continuing to paint, he became a sought-after lighting designer in the Off‑Off-Broadway scene, collaborating with OBIE-winning companies and earning a reputation for painterly, atmospheric designs. After the Velvet Revolution, he finally regained a Czech passport in 1994 and returned home, turning to pastels to capture the renewed landscapes of a country he had once been forced to flee. He was married to writer and theatre artist Marcy Arlin until his premature death in 2016.

It is our goal to share his work and prescient story of arts censorship and exile, through exhibitions, acquisitions, and community engagement. To participate in this endeavor, please contact us.