Alex Katz

Alex Katz (b. 1927, Brooklyn) is an acclaimed American painter known for his crisp, large-scale portraits and landscapes. After studying at Cooper Union and Skowhegan, Katz developed a style rooted in painting from life, focusing on bold color, flat planes, and clean lines that anticipate Pop Art while remaining distinctively his own.

Emerging in the 1950s, Katz began exhibiting in New York and formed close ties with poets and painters of the era, painting portraits of friends, family, and especially his wife Ada, who became a central muse. In the 1960s, he expanded into cutout sculptures and large, cropped portraits, also beginning a prolific printmaking practice. From the 1980s onward, Katz explored “environmental” landscapes that envelop viewers, later introducing night scenes and flower paintings that examine light and perception.

Over his career, Katz has held more than 250 solo exhibitions, including at the Whitney Museum, Tate, Guggenheim Bilbao, and the National Portrait Gallery in London. His works are held in major collections worldwide, including MoMA, the Met, Tate, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Katz’s career spans over seven decades, continuing to refine his vision of contemporary life through vibrant, immediate images of people and places.