steir's first museum exhibition, in 1973 at the corcoran gallery of art, washington, d.c., marks the beginning of a career dense with painting exhibitions. she has also made installation work (shown at documenta ix, kassel, germany, in 1992) and is an important printmaker. crown point press began publishing her prints in 1977 and in 1983 the spencer museum of art, university of kansas, gave her a print and drawing exhibition. a print retrospective at the cabinet des estampes in geneva traveled to the tate gallery in london, england. steir has had one-person painting exhibitions at the brooklyn museum in 1984 and the new museum of contemporary art in new york in 1987, both of which traveled to other museums, many in europe.