In Memoriam: Zigmunds Priede (1935 – 2024)

It is with great sadness that the Department of Art marks the passing of former Professor of Art Zigmunds Priede, who taught printmaking here from 1964 to 1978. Zig was also one of the first printmakers to work at Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE), a fine art print publisher in New York, at which he continued to work throughout his time at the U. There, Zig collaborated with a wide range of artists, helping create original print editions for Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Helen Frankenthaler, Barnett Newman, and Robert Motherwell, among others. He later taught art at the Johnson County Community College in Kansas City for more than twenty years, before retiring in 2013.
Born in Latvia, he, his mother, and his little sister fled the country during World War 2, escaping the Soviet occupation and landing in what would soon become West Germany. According to an article in KC Studio, the family found their way to Minnesota and began a new life in Minneapolis, where Zig eventually attended the University of Minnesota as a student himself, earning a BA in 1959.

During his time as a professor here, Zig had a profound effect on his students, including Keith Brintzenhofe (BA ‘75), who came to the U expecting to major in engineering. After his first day in a printmaking elective with Zig, Keith’s trajectory changed to Art, leading him to a 17-year career as a master printmaker at ULAE, collaborating with other artists on lithographs, etchings, and screenprints. In gratitude for his mentor and friend, Keith established the Zigmunds Priede Scholarship in Printmaking here in 2014. One recipient of the scholarship, Robert McGrady (BA ‘20), wrote with gratitude that with the help of that funding, “I will be able to work freely and focus on creating the best, most fully realized work that I can.”


In announcing the scholarship in 2014, the Department of Art described Zig as someone who “helped broaden the printmaking studios and fostered a positive and collaborative working environment. He nurtured student talent who became world-class master printers and artists, as well as successes in other fields such as computer software and design… Zig brought his artistic integrity, creative evolution, and open experimentation to push the boundaries of printmaking. He helped define the potential of artistic collaboration between artists and master printers that continues to this day.”
Zigmunds Priede’s work is in numerous collections nationwide, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Walker Art Center, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, the Hallmark Art Collection and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.
Zigmunds Priede: One of a Kind
by Bill Goldston (MFA ‘71), Director of ULAE
Zig Priede was one of the most important people in my life. He was an instructor of printmaking at the University of Minnesota and, in 1966, was soon to become the professor of a newly created lithography class when we met. During that summer, he was my printmaking instructor. He told me about the new class and suggested I enroll in the fall session.

Zig had a unique approach to teaching, which encouraged exploration as a method of learning. His introduction on the first day of class set the tone perfectly. It went something like this: "Welcome to Lithography 101. My name is Zig Priede. Alois Senefelder invented lithography in the 1790s, and there is a book in the university library that describes the process and how to prepare the stone. I am here if you have any questions about the process." It was an open invitation to explore all possibilities, and all his students embraced it. The class was inspiring, and being a part of his energy was a driving force for all of us.
That first class was not without its challenges, though. Zig had prepared several lithographic stones for the course, but there weren’t enough to accommodate the number of students who had signed up, leading to some logistical issues. During Christmas vacation, I returned to Oklahoma, where I happened to meet a cousin of my wife at the time. By chance, this cousin knew someone who had 20 lithographic stones in storage and was willing to part with them. When I returned to class after Christmas, Zig was thrilled to hear about the stones. With the head of the art department's approval, plans were quickly made for Zig and me to retrieve them using a university truck.
We set off early the following Saturday morning, driving straight through to Oklahoma City. After picking up the stones and giving the owner prints from university professors as a token of appreciation, we spent the night at my parents’ house. Early Sunday morning, we hit the road back to Minneapolis, though weary from the 12-hour drive.
As sometimes happens in the Midwest, we encountered an incredible thunderstorm on our return journey. But despite the weather, we arrived in Minneapolis around midnight, full of joy and excitement about the precious cargo. Monday morning, we unloaded the stones. It marked a new chapter for the lithography students at the University of Minnesota.

Zig began the new school year with fresh students, new stones, and a new teaching assistant—me. However, this joy was soon overshadowed by my draft notice from the U.S. Army. The Vietnam War loomed heavily over many young men during that time, and I was called to serve. Ultimately, I was assigned to oversee a commercial offset shop, where I gained experience in another form of printmaking, which I later shared with Zig.
When I eventually returned to resume my graduate studies, I walked into the print studio, and Zig’s first words to me were: "Are you ready to go to New York?" Those words changed my life. Three weeks later, Zig and I traveled to New York to work at the renowned Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE) studio on Long Island. Zig encouraged me to continue working there, and today, fifty-five years later, I am proud to have contributed to continuing the ULAE legacy that Zig supported in the early 1960s.

If you knew Zig and would like to share a remembrance to be added to this page, we invite you to email [email protected].
Related Links:
Zigmunds Priede Scholarship in Printmaking
Zigmunds Priede artist statement, CV, and portfolio, via ArtsKC
Zigmunds Priede Art on Facebook
Zigmunds Priede: From Refugee to Master Printer, via KC Studio
Keith Brintzenhofe: Intelligent Design, via UMN CLA