Alex KatzAda in the Woods1984
1984
About the Item
- Creator:Alex Katz (1927, American)
- Creation Year:1984
- Dimensions:Height: 22.25 in (56.52 cm)Width: 15 in (38.1 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU293211073972
Alex Katz
Flat color and minimal forms contrast the often monumental scales of the paintings by Alex Katz through which he creates portraits and landscapes of deceptive simplicity. Although the signature stark style that defines his prints and other work is now recognizable at a glance, it took him a decade to develop. During that time, he has said he destroyed hundreds of paintings.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, to Russian émigré parents, Katz’s family moved to Queens when he was a baby and that is where his family’s passion for the arts supported his early creative interests. In 1946, he enrolled at the Cooper Union in Manhattan where he studied painting under Morris Kantor. While he was influenced by the bold colors and hard edges of modernism, he shifted away from the then-dominant Abstract Expressionism movement to figurative scenes of life that have an inherent cool in their pared-down approach. Especially impactful were Katz’s summer studies between 1949 and 1950 at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine, a place where, as he later wrote: “I tried plein air painting and found my subject matter and a reason to devote my life to painting.”
Katz’s first solo show was in 1954 at Roko Gallery in New York. He experimented over the course of the following years with collage and painting on aluminum sheets, with his work in the 1960s drawing inspiration from film and advertising. In the 1970s, Katz expanded into portrait groups that regularly depicted the cultural scene of New York; in the 1980s, he extended his focus to fashion and its supermodels. Since the late 1950s, an enduring muse for his portraits has been his wife, Ada, while others have painted friends and famous figures. The intimate closeness of the frequently cropped faces in Katz’s portraits exudes a sense of tension with the subjects’ enigmatic expressions and planes of color.
In the 1960s, Katz collaborated with American dancer and choreographer Paul Taylor on sets and costumes. His concentration on landscapes emerged in the late 1980s, with atmospheric night views joining his practice, which had previously been defined by bright colors. Always finding new perspectives on his work, he has explored using iPhone photographs as the basis for large-scale compositions in recent years.
Katz’s prolific career has spanned sculpture, prints and public art along with his paintings and drawings, and his works can be found in the collections of leading museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art and Museum of Modern Art. He has had over 250 solo exhibitions around the world and continues to be acclaimed. In 2022, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum opened a major retrospective of his art.
Find Alex Katz art today on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Dino & AndaBy Alex KatzLocated in New York, NYAlex Katz Dino & Anda, date unknown pencil on paper 22 1/2 x 15 in. (57.2 x 38.1 cm)Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPencil
- MeredithBy Alex KatzLocated in New York, NYAlex Katz Meredith, 1980 pencil on paper 15 x 22 in. (38.1 x 55.9 cm)Category
1980s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
MaterialsPencil
- LauraBy Alex KatzLocated in New York, NYAlex Katz Laura, 1985 pencil on paper 22 x 15 in. (55.9 x 38.1 cm)Category
1980s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
MaterialsPencil
- Nathan, Red and JohnBy Alex KatzLocated in New York, NYAlex Katz Nathan, Red and John, 1985 pencil on paper 37 1/4 x 24 3/4 in. (94.6 x 62.9 cm)Category
1980s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
MaterialsPencil, Paper
- DougBy Alex KatzLocated in New York, NYAlex Katz Doug, 1977 pencil on paper 22 x 15 in. (55.9 x 38.1 cm)Category
1970s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
MaterialsPencil
- EnaBy Alex KatzLocated in New York, NYAlex Katz Ena, 1986 pencil on paper 22 x 15 in. (55.9 x 38.1 cm)Category
1980s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
MaterialsPencil
- Motherhood - Original Pencil Drawing - 1976By Gianpaolo BertoLocated in Roma, ITMotherhood is a contemporary artwork in pencil realized by Gian Paolo Berto during the 1970s. hand-signed and dated on the lower left. Dimensions: 51 x 46cm In very good conditio...Category
1970s Contemporary Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPencil
- Smoker - Original Pencil Drawing by S. Goldberg - Mid 20th CenturyBy Simon GoldbergLocated in Roma, ITSmoker is an original drawing in pencil on paper realized by Simon Goldberg (1913-1985). Hand-signed in pencil on the lower right, with sketches on the rear. The state of preservati...Category
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPencil
- Portrait - Original Pencil Drawing by S. Goldberg - Mid 20th CenturyBy Simon GoldbergLocated in Roma, ITPortrait is an original drawing on paper realized by Simon Goldberg (1913-1985). Hand-signed on the lower right, with a sketch on the rear. The state of preservation is very good. ...Category
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPencil
- Figure - Original Pencil Drawing by S. Goldberg - Mid 20th CenturyBy Simon GoldbergLocated in Roma, ITFigure is an original drawing in pencil on paper realized by Simon Goldberg (1913-1985). The state of preservation is very good. Sheet dimension:12 x 15 cm. The artwork represent...Category
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPencil
- Figure - Original Pencil Drawing by S. Goldberg - Mid 20th CenturyBy Simon GoldbergLocated in Roma, ITFigure is an original drawing in pencil on paper realized by Simon Goldberg (1913-1985). With the stamp of “Atelier Simon Goldberg, Delavenne Lafarge” on the lower right. The state ...Category
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPencil
- Man - Original Pencil Drawing by S. Goldberg - Mid 20th CenturyBy Simon GoldbergLocated in Roma, ITMan is an original drawing in pencil on paper realized by Simon Goldberg (1913-1985), with the stamp of "Atelier Simon Goldberg" on the lower right, with sketches on the rear. The s...Category
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPencil