Lothar Kestenbaum (1926-1995) was born in Berlin, the son of a Jewish father and Catholic mother. At the age of 4, Lothar tragically lost a leg in a trolly car accident.

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He showed an early talent for drawing in school, but in 1942 the Nazis closed all schools. During this time 16-year-old Lothar spent much time in the Berlin Zoo, drawing and modeling the animals in clay.  Miraculously, Lothar’s family survived the Battle of Berlin and he completed a course of study in the sculpture department at The Berlin Academy of Fine Arts.  In 1951 he traveled to the United States, crossing the country from New York to Los Angeles, eventually making his way south to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in 1956 to study sculpture at the Instituto Allende.  Lothar quickly became the head of the Sculpture Department of that art school where he worked in plaster, cement, stone, iron, and bronze. He received a fellowship to study in Italy followed by teaching positions in Santa Barbara, CA, and Milwaukee, WI.  In 1970 Lothar accepted a position as the head of the sculpture department in the new branch of Bellas Artes, Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes located at the Centro Cultural El Nigromante in San Miguel de Allende. He continued to work and teach in San Miguel de Allende until the end of his career. 

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His early works in metal are skeletal, sinewy, rough, and abrasive.  Balance is an important theme in his later work depicting humans in acrobatic acts and precarious tipping points.  His carvings in wood and stone, with interlocking curves and gentle forms release the beauty hidden in these raw materials. 

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Lothar’s works have been exhibited widely in Mexico, the United States, and Germany.  His works are also at home in many private collections in those countries.  Today his three-meter sculpture, the Familia Feliz stands in Parque de Reloj, in Colonia Polanco.   A joyous work of art commissioned by the German Embassy as a gift from the people of West Berlin.