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.
Olivia 2 (from Oliva suite), large hand signed silkscreen
By Alex Katz
Located in Aventura, FL
Olivia 2 from Oliva suite. Hand signed by Alex Katz lower left. Hand numbered PP 4/4 lower right (there is also a main edition of 50). Artwork size: 40 x 54 inches. Published by L...
Paper, Screen
Red Coat Screenprint by Alex Katz, Contemporary, Signed, 1983, 55/73
By Alex Katz
Located in Miami, FL
Alex Katz (b. 1927, American) Red Coat 1983 Screenprint 57 3/4 x 28 7/8 in. 55/73 Pencil signed and numbered Alex Katz is an American painter of portraits a...
Screen
Black Hat -- Woodcut, Print, Portrait by Alex Katz
By Alex Katz
Located in London, GB
Black Hat, 2012 Alex Katz Woodcut, on Somerset satin white Signed and numbered from the edition of 25 Printed by Collaborative Art Editions, Tampa Published by Lococo Fine Art Publi...
Woodcut
$16,000
Red Dogwood 2
By Alex Katz
Located in Calabasas, CA
Artist: Alex Katz Title: Red Dogwood 2 Year: 2021 Medium: Archival pigment ink on Innova Etching Cotton Rag 315 gsm fine art paper Edition: 100; signed and numbered in pencil Sheet...
Archival Pigment
$29,700
Ada
By Alex Katz
Located in Miami, FL
TECHNICAL INFORMATION Alex Katz Ada 2011 Japanese woodblock in 31-colors on New Hosho paper 22 x 30 in. Edition of 70 Pencil signed & numbered Accompanied with COA by Gregg Shi...
Woodcut
Alex Katz 'Sara' Signed Screenprint 2012
By Alex Katz
Located in Miami, FL
ALEX KATZ (1927-Present) Sara, from Three Portraits Silkscreen Suite 32-color silkscreen on Rising museum board signed and numbered 23/60 in pencil. Published by Lococo Fine Art Pub...
Archival Paper, Screen
$2,250
Edges 9
By Alex Katz
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Adored by collectors and art lovers around the globe, Alex Katz (b. 1927) is renowned for his elegant and distinctive version of figuration. Katz has been dedicated to art-making si...
Etching
Dancer 1 - ballet, dancing, lilac, black
By Alex Katz
Located in Köln, DE
"Dancer 1" is from Alex Katz Dancer series. He is obsessed by fashion and the ballet and often works together with models and dancers. His works show ...
Screen
Flags - woodcut, flowers, flags, Katz, black and white
By Alex Katz
Located in Köln, DE
"Flags" is a stunning woodcut from 2013. It is a very stylized view over a wide flower meadow. Typically, Katz is using a clear and straight color palette. It is beautiful to see how...
Woodcut
Sunrise 1 - Portrait, hat, shadow, sun light, lilac, blonde
By Alex Katz
Located in Köln, DE
"Sunrise 1", a cool, zoomed portrait in the characteristic style of Alex Katz. Wonderful colors and a the feeling of a hot summer day. Signed "Alex Katz" bottom right and numbered "3...
Digital Pigment
$3,600Sale Price|20% Off
Coleman Pond III
By Alex Katz
Located in Miami, FL
Alex Katz (b. 1927) Coleman Pond III (Bauer 446) Heliorelief woodcut on tosa washi hanga natural paper Signed and numbered “Pres 1/6” in the lower margin. Printed by Tom Pruitt, G...
Etching, Woodcut
Pas de Deux II
By Alex Katz
Located in Greenwich, CT
Pas de Deux II (Danny Moynihan and Laura Faber) is a serigraph on paper with an image size of 36 x 20 inches, signed ‘Alex Katz’ lower left and numbered 107/150. From the edition of ...
Paper, Screen
Pas de Deux III
By Alex Katz
Located in Greenwich, CT
Pas de Deux III (Francesco and Alba Clemente) is a serigraph on paper with an image size of 36 x 20 inches, signed ‘Alex Katz’ lower left and numbered 106/150. From the edition of 17...
Paper, Screen
Purple Tulips 1
By Alex Katz
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Adored by collectors and art lovers around the globe, Alex Katz is renowned for his elegant and distinctive version of figuration. Born in 1927, Katz has been dedicated to art-makin...
Rag Paper, Laser, Archival Pigment
Coca Cola Girl #6
By Alex Katz
Located in Boca Raton, FL
paper size 36 x 72 inches 40 x 76 inches framed
Screen
$12,000
Spring 1
By Alex Katz
Located in Boca Raton, FL
The Spring series represents Katz’s profound engagement with the cyclical nature of time. The abstracted compositions of falling leaves or budding branches embody a conceptual rather...
Screen
Alex Katz - "Plate 15" From GLORIA Portfolio (Original Etching, 2005) Ed 100
By Alex Katz
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This print is priced fairly, offered at the same wholesale discount extended to our partner galleries and private dealers. We strongly encourage prospective buyers to compare our lis...
Etching
Ada Four Times 4
By Alex Katz
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Alex Katz (b. 1927) has been dedicated to art-making since the 1950's - however, it wasn't until the 60's when he established his signature 'flat' figurative style. Over the succeedi...
Lithograph, Screen
1946 "Untitled" oil on canvas painting signed and dated by artist Alex Katz.
By Alex Katz
Located in Boca Raton, FL
"Untitled" oil on canvas painting by artist Alex Katz. Signed and dated A. Katz 46 recto lower right. Painted in 1946, during the period when Katz was studying at Cooper Union in New...
Canvas, Oil
Porcelain Beauty - enamel, aluminum, black and white
By Alex Katz
Located in Köln, DE
The set "Porcelain Beauty" consists of 6 porcelain enamel artworks on aluminum plate. Alex Katz was life-long influenced by advertising e.g. the Ame...
Enamel
$17,250
Purple Wind
By Alex Katz
Located in Fairfield, CT
Alex Katz was born in 1924 to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, as the son of an émigré who had lost a factory he owned in Russia to the Soviet revolution. In 1928 the family moved to St. Albans, Queens, where Katz grew up. From 1946 to 1949 Katz studied at The Cooper Union in New York, and from 1949 to 1950 he studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Skowhegan, Maine. Skowhegan exposed him to painting from life, which would prove pivotal in his development as a painter and remains a staple of his practices today. Katz explains that Skowhegan's plein air painting gave him "a reason to devote my life to painting." Every year from early June to mid-September, Katz moves from his SoHo loft to a 19th-century clapboard farmhouse in Lincolnville, Maine. A summer resident of Lincolnville since 1954, he has developed a close relationship with local Colby College. From 1954 to 1960, he made a number of small collages of still lifes, Maine landscapes, and small figures. He met Ada Del...
Screen
$26,000
Straw Hat 1
By Alex Katz
Located in Boca Raton, FL
With flat planes of rich color, Alex Katz’s landscapes and portraits evoke the smooth aesthetics of advertising billboards and film. The prolific artist is especially well known for ...
Archival Pigment
$55,000
White Visor
By Alex Katz
Located in Miami, FL
TECHNICAL INFORMATION Alex Katz White Visor 2003 Etching Aquatint 33 3/8 x 66 7/8 in. Edition of 75 Pencil signed & numbered Accompanied with COA by Gregg Shienbaum Fine Art ...
Etching, Aquatint
$6,000Sale Price|20% Off
Carter and Phyllis
By Alex Katz
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Adored by collectors and art lovers the world over, Alex Katz is renowned for his elegant and distinctive version of figuration. Born in 1927, Katz has been dedicated to art-making s...
Woodcut
$6,000Sale Price|20% Off
Eric and Anni
By Alex Katz
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Adored by collectors and art lovers the world over, Alex Katz is renowned for his elegant and distinctive version of figuration. Born in 1927, Katz has been dedicated to art-making s...
Woodcut
White Lilies 4
By Alex Katz
Located in Calabasas, CA
Artist: Alex Katz Title: White Lilies 4 Year: 2025 Medium: Silkscreen in colors on Saunders Waterford High White HP 425 gsm paper Sheet: 57 1/2 x 40 in (146.1 x 101.6 cm) Edition: 50...
Screen
White Lilies 2
By Alex Katz
Located in Calabasas, CA
Artist: Alex Katz Title: White Lilies 2 Year: 2025 Medium: Silkscreen in colors on Saunders Waterford High White HP 425 gsm paper Sheet: 57 1/2 x 40 in (146.1 x 101.6 cm) Edition: 50...
Screen
White Lilies 6
By Alex Katz
Located in Calabasas, CA
Artist: Alex Katz Title: White Lilies 6 Year: 2025 Medium: Silkscreen in colors on Saunders Waterford High White HP 425 gsm paper Sheet: 42 3/4 x 96 in (108.6 × 243.8 cm) Edition: 50...
Screen
The Creative Director (Pharrell)
By Alex Katz
Located in Calabasas, CA
Artist: Alex Katz Title: The Creative Director (Pharrell) Year: 2025 Medium: Silkscreen in colors on Saunders Waterford High White HP 425 gsm fine art paper Sheet: 36 x 26 inches (91...
Screen
Alex Katz 'Dancer 2' Signed Aluminum Cutout 2020
By Alex Katz
Located in Miami, FL
ALEX KATZ (1927-Present) Katz' 2020 'Dancer 2' is a cutout with UV-cured archival inks on shaped powder-coated aluminum, mounted to aluminum base. Incised 'Alex Katz', dated and num...
Metal
"Yellow Flags on Brown", Flowers, Still life, Yellow, Brown
By Alex Katz
Located in Köln, DE
We are proud to present a brand new edition by Alex Katz. "Yellow Flags on Brown" is one of the latest works that has been published. It is an homage to his landscape and flower artworks...
Pigment
Ada in Blue Hat - 2004 - Aquatint in 11 colors - Portrait of Ada Katz in Maine
By Alex Katz
Located in Miami, FL
Ada in Blue Hat 2004 Aquatint in 11 colors 33 1/2 x 67 in. Edition of 75 Pencil signed and numbered With flat planes of rich, lovely color, Alex Katz’s landscapes and portraits evok...
Aquatint
$6,000Sale Price|20% Off
Jennifer and Eric
By Alex Katz
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Adored by collectors and art lovers the world over, Alex Katz is renowned for his elegant and distinctive version of figuration. Born in 1927, Katz has been dedicated to art-making s...
Woodcut
$17,000
Olivia 1
By Alex Katz
Located in Boca Raton, FL
This work is edition number 33/50. Signed/numbered in pencil, lower lect. By reducing his subjects to their most essential visual components, Alex Katz engages in a reductive proc...
Screen
Straw Hat Vivien
By Alex Katz
Located in Miami, FL
Technical Information: Alex Katz Straw Hat Vivien 2021 Silkscreen 80 x 44 in. Edition of 60 Pencil signed and numbered
Screen
$14,000
Autumn 6
By Alex Katz
Located in Fairfield, CT
Edition of 75
Paper, Ink
Dancer 2 - ballet, dancing, light blue, black, blonde, dress
By Alex Katz
Located in Köln, DE
"Dancer 1" is from Alex Katz Dancer series. He is obsessed by fashion and the ballet and often works together with models and dancers. His works show ...
Screen
Ada 2 (Outline) - shining, silvery, beauty, sculpture, polished aluminum
By Alex Katz
Located in Köln, DE
"Ada 2 (Outline)" is a stunning piece of art. Usually, Katz is well known for his cut-outs, but this is an "outline" sculpture made of high glossy polished aluminum. It is light as a...
Bronze
Purple Hat Ada
By Alex Katz
Located in Miami, FL
TECHNICAL INFORMATION Alex Katz 2017 Archival pigment inks on Crane Museo Max 365 gsm fine art paper 46 x 21 in. Edition of 125 Pencil signed and numbered Accompanied with COA by G...
Archival Pigment
$18,000
Freesia
By Alex Katz
Located in Fairfield, CT
7-color woodcut on Somerset white 500 gsm
Archival Paper, Woodcut
Alex Katz Blue Umbrella 1978 Signed Color Lithograph Edition of 120
By Alex Katz
Located in Minneapolis, MN
Artist: Alex Katz Title: Blue Umbrella Medium: Lithograph in Colors on Arches Paper Year: 1978 Sheet size: 20" x 30" Frame size: 25.5" x 35.25" Edition: 68/120 Publisher: GHJ Graphic...
Paper, Lithograph
$32,000
Straw Hat 3
By Alex Katz
Located in Boca Raton, FL
woman in straw hat with eyes closed
Archival Pigment
Eric from White Shirt series
By Alex Katz
Located in Calabasas, CA
Artist: Alex Katz Title: Eric from White Shirt series Year: 2021 Medium: Archival pigment ink on Innova Etching Cotton Rag 315 gsm fine art paper Edition: 50; signed and numbered in ...
Archival Pigment
Ada (Purple)
By Alex Katz
Located in Fairfield, CT
Edition of 75 1 Color Woodcut on Somerset Satin White, 300 gsm
Woodcut
$22,000
Dancer 2
By Alex Katz
Located in Fairfield, CT
Silkscreen in 25-colors on Saunders Waterford HP High White 425 gsm paper edition of 60
Screen
Dancer 2 (cutout) - ballet, dancing, light blue, black, blonde, dress
By Alex Katz
Located in Köln, DE
"Dancer 1" is from Alex Katz Dancer series. He is obsessed by fashion and the ballet and often works together with models and dancers. His works show ...
Other Medium
Ada (Black)
By Alex Katz
Located in Fairfield, CT
Edition of 150 1 Color Woodcut on Somerset Satin White, 300 gsm
Woodcut
Purple Tulips 1, from The Flowers Portfolio
By Alex Katz
Located in London, GB
Archival pigment print, 2021, on Innova Etching Cotton Rag 315 gsm paper, signed in pencil, numbered from the edition of 100, Lococo Publishing, Missouri, 80 x 119 cm. (31½ x 46¾ in.)
Archival Pigment
Ada 6 - From the Ada Portfolio
By Alex Katz
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Alex Katz (b. 1927) Ada 6 — From the ADA Portfolio, 2022, (/100) Silkscreen in colors on Saunders Waterford High White HP 425 gsm paper 54 x 40.50 in (137.16 x 102.87 cm)
Screen
Monograph: Alex Katz Black and White (Hand signed by Alex Katz)
By Alex Katz
Located in New York, NY
Alex Katz Alex Katz Black and White (Hand signed by Alex Katz), 2017 Hardback monograph with no dust jacket as issued (Hand signed by Alex Katz) Hand signed by Alex Katz on the first...
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset
$280Sale Price|20% Off
After Alex Katz 'American Dance Festival 2003-70th Anniversary'
By Alex Katz
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Paper Size: 31.75 x 53 inches ( 80.645 x 134.62 cm ) Image Size: 28 x 53 inches ( 71.12 x 134.62 cm ) Framed: No Condition: A-: Near Mint, very light signs of handling Addition...
Screen
$9,000
Laura 3
By Alex Katz
Located in New York, NY
Created by Alex Katz in 2018, Laura 3 is a two-color original etching, hand-signed in pencil and numbered, the artwork measures 42 x 42 in. (107 x 107 cm), unframed, from the edition...
Etching
White Roses Screen Print, Signed Edition of 50, 2014, 42.5 x 85.4 in.
By Alex Katz
Located in New York, NY
'White Roses', 2014 Alex Katz Screen print in colors 42.5 x 85.4 in. / 108 x 217 cm. Edition of 50, Signed by the Artist The specific information regarding edition will be provided ...
Screen
Alex Katz Striped Jacket Signed Color Lithograph Contemporary Art
By Alex Katz
Located in Minneapolis, MN
Artist: Alex Katz Title: Striped Jacket Medium: Lithograph in colors on Arches Roll Cover paper Image Size: 29 3/8" x 37 1/8" Frame Size: 39" x 47" Year: 1981 Edition: 41/58 Inscript...
Lithograph, Paper
$20,000
Ada
By Alex Katz
Located in New York, NY
Alex Katz Ada 2022 16-color silkscreen 54 x 40 1/2 inches (137 x 103 cm) Signed and numbered edition of 100 in lower margin. Alex Katz is an American painter renowned for his large-...
Archival Pigment
William Dunas Dance 4 - Pamela, Framed Lithograph by Alex Katz
By Alex Katz
Located in Long Island City, NY
Fourth Pose from the Night: William Dunas Dance suite by Alex Katz. The piece is framed in an exquisite hand-carved white gold leaf museum frame. Artist: Alex Katz, American (192...
Lithograph
Portraits: Anne
By Alex Katz
Located in New York, NY
Alex Katz uses outline drawings, called “cartoons”, as templates to transfer full size images onto the canvas prior to painting. Rendered in red chal...
Etching
Night: William Dunas Dance, Suite of Four Lithographs by Alex Katz
By Alex Katz
Located in Long Island City, NY
A beautiful set of prints displaying a dancer (Pamela) in motion. Pamela is a recurring subject in Alex Katz’s work, regularly showing up named in the titles of various pieces. This ...
Lithograph
Portraits: Alba
By Alex Katz
Located in New York, NY
Alex Katz uses outline drawings, called “cartoons”, as templates to transfer full size images onto the canvas prior to painting. Rendered in red chalk or charcoal on brown paper, th...
Etching
Portraits: Yvonne
By Alex Katz
Located in New York, NY
Alex Katz uses outline drawings, called “cartoons”, as templates to transfer full size images onto the canvas prior to painting. Rendered in red chalk or charcoal on brown paper, th...
Etching