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.
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Face of the Poet
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 ...
Aquatint
Hardback Monograph: Alex Katz in Maine (hand signed and dated by Alex Katz)
By Alex Katz
Located in New York, NY
Alex Katz in Maine, 2005 Hardback monograph (hand signed and dated by Alex Katz) Boldly signed and dated 6.9.10 by Alex Katz on the first front end page 9 3/4 × 11 1/2 × 3/4 inches T...
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset
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
Looking at Art With Alex Katz, hardback monograph hand signed by Alex Katz
By Alex Katz
Located in New York, NY
Alex Katz Looking at Art With Alex Katz (hand signed by Alex Katz), 2018 Hardback monograph with dust jacket (hand signed in black pen on the title page) hand signed by Alex Katz in ...
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset, Board
Give Me Tomorrow
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 in the original gray linen-covered portfolio. Born in...
Aquatint
$52,536
H 11.42 in W 15.36 in D 2.17 in
Le Cocu Magnifique - Complete Suite of Etchings by Pablo Picasso - 1968
By Pablo Picasso
Located in Roma, IT
In-folio Oblong Dimensions : 29x39 cm. Paris Atelier Crommelynck 1968 Edition 35 of 200 copies including 12 original out-of-text etchings (7 etchings, 4 etchings and acquatint and ...
Drypoint, Etching, Aquatint
$40,000
H 11.42 in W 15.36 in
Le Cocu Magnifique -- complete with 12 original etchings
By Pablo Picasso
Located in New York, NY
About In-folio Oblong Dimensions : 29x39 cm. Paris Atelier Crommelynck 1968 Edition #41 of 200 copies including 12 original out-of-text etchings (7 etchings, 4 etchings and aquatint...
Drypoint, Etching, Aquatint
Robert Longo Men In The Cities announcement 1985
By Robert Longo
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Robert Longo Men in the Cities: Rare original 1985 announcement card published on the occasion of: Men In The Cities from November 9 - December 7, 1985 at Brooke Alexander, Inc.; 59...
Offset
$9,313
H 11.15 in W 8.78 in D 0.2 in
La Chèvre-Feuille - Illustrations by Pablo Picasso and G. Hugnet - 1943
By Pablo Picasso
Located in Roma, IT
La Chèvre-Feuille is an original Modern Rare book illustrated by Pablo Picasso and written by Georges Hugnet (11 July 1906 – 26 June 1974) in 1943 . Origina...
Etching
Sainte Anne
By Salvador Dalí
Located in New York, NY
Drypoint, aquatint and heliogravure, 1965. Signed by the artist and dated in pencil, lower right margin. Numbered 42/150 in pencil, lower left margin. Printed by Robbe, Paris. Pub...
Drypoint, Aquatint
25 Exhibition Louis Vuitton Foundation Poster
By David Hockney
Located in London, GB
Set of 3 original posters from the 2025 exhibition at Louis Vuitton Foundation, Paris 2025 Offset lithograph 70 x 50 cm each David Hockney (born 1937) is one of the most influentia...
Lithograph, Offset
25 Exhibition Louis Vuitton Foundation Poster
By David Hockney
Located in London, GB
Original poster from the 2025 exhibition at Louis Vuitton Foundation, Paris 2025 Offset lithograph 70 x 50 cm David Hockney (born 1937) is one of the most influential 20th century B...
Lithograph, Offset
The Bathers ("De Zwemmertjes")
By Rembrandt van Rijn
Located in New York, NY
Etching and drypoint on laid paper, 1651. New Hollstein's third, and final, state. Full sheet size 5.38 x6.5 inches. Frame size 14.25 x 16.75 inches. Catalogue raisonné references...
Drypoint, Etching
The souper dress
By Andy Warhol
Located in Jerusalem, IL
A 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.
Textile, Screen
$148Sale Price|67% Off
H 12 in W 11.6 in D 0.6 in
Four Seasons (Illustrated Book, Pop Art, 3D Art, Urban Art, ~67% OFF LIST PRICE)
By James Rizzi
Located in Kansas City, MO
James Rizzi Four Seasons (Illustrated Book, Pop Art, 3D Art, Urban Art, New York Artist, Contemporary Art) Handsigned and numbered illustrated book Year: 1988 Size: 12×11.6×0.6in Edition: 965 Signed, numbered by hand Publisher: John Szoke Graphics, Inc. - NYC, USA Printed by: Arnoldo Mondadori Editori, Italy COA provided Ref.: 924802-1932 *the "Four Seasons: Spring" print is missing and not included Tags: James Rizzi, Pop art, 3D art, Urban art, New York artist, Contemporary art, Colorful art, Whimsical art, Cityscape art, Silkscreen prints, 20th-century artist, Three-dimensional paintings, Graphic art, American artist, Happy Rizzi House, 3D constructions, Animated art, Street art, Manhattan art, Graphic artist, International artist, Iconic pop artist, Playful art, Pop culture art, Childlike art...
Paper
$893
H 27.56 in W 19.69 in
25 Exhibition Louis Vuitton Foundation Poster (Set of 3)
By David Hockney
Located in London, GB
Set of 3 original posters from the 2025 exhibition at Louis Vuitton Foundation, Paris 2025 Offset lithograph 70 x 50 cm each David Hockney (born 1937) is one of the most influential...
Lithograph, Offset
Gran Cavaliere
By Marino Marini
Located in New York, NY
Color etching and aquatint, 1978. Signed by the artist in pencil, lower right margin. Numbered XXVII/L in pencil, lower left margin. Published by ZWR, London. Sheet size: 46.38 x...
Etching, Aquatint, Color