Alex Katz

Alex Katz was born in New York in 1927. He studied at the Cooper Union in New York (1946-1949) and at the Skowhagen School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. His first solo exhibition was held in 1954. He is considered one of the precursors of Pop Art. At that time, Alex Katz distinguished himself from the Abstract Expressionists by producing figurative paintings in extremely large formats. The fragmentation or repetition of his motifs makes him similar to painters such as Rauschenberg or Warhol.
The artist paints almost exclusively portraits based on the model. He first executes a sketch, then reworks it before enlarging it on canvas. He creates portraits of the New York intelligentsia or stages himself in self-portraits. He paints, without interpretation, the seduction of the subject, their concerns, the mysterious expression of their gaze. His figures stand out against backgrounds that are simultaneously abstract and vividly colored. Alex Katz is sensitive to fashion, to the details of fashion (hairstyles, clothing, symbols, etc.), as well as to the symbols of his time. The artist also paints landscapes, flowers, and seascapes. He collaborates with choreographer Paul Taylor on various shows.
In the early 1970s, his art was appreciated by both the public and critics, who wholeheartedly admired his precise compositions, articulated by bright, relief-free colors on smooth surfaces, and were seduced by the multiple possible meanings hidden behind these images. In the 1980s, Katz ironically encapsulated the joie de vivre of a decade marked by leisure and carefree attitude.
Alex Katz lives and works in New York.