Alex Katz: 45 Years of Portraits 1969-2014

Alex Katz: 45 Years of Portraits 1969–2014 explores the ongoing importance of the figure in the artistic output of Alex Katz (born 1927). This volume collects some 100 works, from classic paintings of the 1960s and 1970s to more recent work ranging stylistically from large-scale works to intimate and cursory sketches and Katz’s relatively lesser-known and less-exhibited “cutouts,” which have the appearance of autonomous silhouettes detached and floating in the exhibition space. In juxtaposing works from different styles and periods in his creative life, this series gives rise to an often overlooked narrative dimension in Katz’s oeuvre. Alongside these figural works, the catalogue features original essays by writer and art historian Adrien Goetz--who examines Katz’s work in light of works by Dominique Ingres, Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas--and fashion journalist Suzy Menkes, who considers Katz in the context of style and fashion.