Kevin Red Star

Apsáalooke Nation, born Lodge Grass, Montana, 1943

BiographyKevin Red Star was born into an artistic family in Lodge Grass, on the Crow Nation in Montana. His father was a musician and federal police officer and his mother practiced traditional Crow beadwork. In 1962 Red Star was recruited to be a part of the inaugural class at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. He studied under James McGrath for three years and then earned a scholarship to the Art Institute in San Francisco, where he was exposed to modernism and the mainstream art market. Red Star began compiling an archive of photos and a written history of the Crow people to use in portraits that explore the Crow collective heritage and identity. His artwork is frequently inspired by historic images of the Crow people, and his images are immediately recognizable for their bright colors and strong forms. Red Star works in many mediums including oil, acrylic, ink, and collage.

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