Ada in Hat
View Similar Items
Alex KatzAda in Hat
About the Item
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 plans to open a major retrospective of his art.
Find Alex Katz art today on 1stDibs.
- Dr. Seuss, Tower of BabelBy (after) Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel)Located in Miami, FLTower of Babel Screenprint on Archival Panel - Limited Edition of 475 Arabic Numbers Authorized Estate Edition 36.25” x 24.25” paper Ready to hang Adap...Category
1990s More Prints
MaterialsScreen
Price Upon Request - Dr. Seuss, The Speck-Voice Was Talking!By (after) Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel)Located in Miami, FLThe Speck-Voice Was Talking! Lithograph on Somerset Paper - Limited Edition of 2500 Arabic Numbers Authorized Estate Edition 11.25" x 14.75" paper Ready to hang Adapted posthumously...Category
1990s More Prints
MaterialsPaper, Lithograph
- Dr. Seuss, We Looked! Then We Saw Him! DiptychBy (after) Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel)Located in Miami, FLDr. Seuss We Looked Then We Saw Him DIPTYCH Serigraph on Black Stonehenge Paper Image Size: 17" x 11" Paper Size: 21.5" x 15" Authorized Estate Edition Declared sold out by the publ...Category
2010s Animal Prints
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Dr. Seuss, Cat Detective in the Wrong Part of TownBy (after) Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel)Located in Miami, FLafter Dr. Seuss Cat Detective in the Wrong Part of Town Serigraph on canvas 38" x 30" Ready to hang Adapted posthumously from the 1969 original pencil and watercolor on illustration board. Here Dr. Seuss’s abstract expressionist style surrounds us with architectural echoes that are uniquely and stylistically Seuss. With a wink, he transports us to this stunning town and then leaves us wondering exactly where we are. Could this artwork be a Seussian travelogue of the cities Ted adored and which enticed him to explore time and again? Ionic columns, stairways descending into water, a lone palm tree, an adobe hacienda complete with veranda, Eiffel-esque structures, an elevated train, laundry out to dry, peaked chalets, a majestic entry arch...Category
2010s Contemporary More Prints
MaterialsColor
- Dr. Seuss, Grinch at Mount CrumpitBy (after) Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel)Located in Miami, FLDr. Seuss Grinch at Mount Crumpit (50th Anniversary of How the Grinch Stole Christmas) Serigraph on Rag Paper 61 x 32 inches Adapted posthumously from the illustration for the 1957...Category
2010s Animal Prints
MaterialsColor
Price Upon Request - Dr. Seuss, They've All Gone To Bed in the Beds of Their ChoicesBy (after) Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel)Located in Miami, FL(after) Dr. Seuss They've All Gone To Bed In the Beds of Their Choices Lithograph on paper 18 x 22 inches Framed, Ready to hang Adapted posthumously from the illustration for the 19...Category
2010s Contemporary More Prints
MaterialsColor
- The souper dressBy Andy WarholLocated in Jerusalem, ILA wonderful piece of unknown edition by Andy Warhol. A silkscreen print on a Cellulose and Cotton dress. Fearing the artist's trade mark Campbell's soup can. In very good condition.Category
1960s Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsTextile, Screen
- Saint Apollonia - Portfolio of four screen-printsBy Andy WarholLocated in Tallinn, EESaint Apollonia - Portfolio of four screen-prints 1984, each signed Andy Warhol Numbered 248/250. 4 colored screen-prints on Essex offset kid finish paper, 76.2 x 55.9 cm, Printed...Category
1980s Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsScreen
Price Upon Request - SpeedskaterBy Andy WarholLocated in Ljubljana, SIOriginal silkscreen printed in colors, 1983. Edition of 150 signed and numbered impressions on Arches 88 paper. Art and Sport portfolio: The Yugoslav Olympic Committee of the Winter ...Category
1980s Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsScreen
Price Upon Request - TAKASHI MURAKAMI: Who's afraid of red, yellow... Superflat, Japanese Pop ArtBy Takashi MurakamiLocated in Madrid, MadridTakashi Murakami - WHO'S AFRAID OF RED, YELLOW, BLUE AND DEATH Date of creation: 2011 Medium: Offset lithograph with silver and silkscreen with spot UV varnishing Edition: 300 Size:...Category
2010s Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsPaper, Varnish, Offset, Screen
- PURE EVIL - MARILYN MONROE CLASSIC BLACK Street Urban Pop Graffiti Hollywood UKBy Pure EvilLocated in Madrid, MadridPURE EVIL - MARILYN CLASSIC (BLACK) Date of creation: 2021 Medium: Screen print on Fedrigoni paper Edition: 100 Size: 85 x 70 cm Condition: In mint conditions, brand new and never fr...Category
2010s Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsPaper, Screen
- PURE EVIL -RICHARD BURTON'S NIGHTMARE Unique Street Graffiti Pop Art Liz TaylorBy Pure EvilLocated in Madrid, MadridPURE EVIL - RICHARD BURTON'S NIGHTMARE Date of creation: 2020 Medium: Hand finished screen print on paper Edition: 1 Size: 26 x 26 cm Condition: In mint conditions, brand new and nev...Category
2010s Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsInk, Spray Paint, Screen, Stencil