Alex Katz (b. 1927 USA)

 

Untitled - oil on masonite 8 x 12 in.

Alex Katz, born in 1927 in Brooklyn, New York, is a celebrated American figurative painter known for his large-scale, simplified portraits and landscapes. His work is characterized by flat, vibrant backgrounds and reductive forms, often incorporating elements of Pop Art.

Katz studied at the Cooper Union School of Art in New York and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. Over his career, he has produced a vast body of work, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, and prints, and has been the subject of over 200 solo exhibitions worldwide. His art is housed in prestigious institutions such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

His distinctive style emerged in the 1950s, during the height of Abstract Expressionism, but he developed a unique approach that set him apart. Katz’s work often features family, friends, and landscapes, rendered with a striking economy of detail.