01 Art Review

Alex Katz @ Guggenheim

I almost bought an Alex Katz painting once. My husband and I found "Vivien in Black Hat, 2010" tucked away in an unassuming art gallery in Tribeca.

We asked for the price and were told it was $10,000 USD at the time. On Artnet today, the painting is currently selling for $65,000 USD.

Alex Katz is one of my all-time favorite artists who I often yearn to emulate in my work both as an artist and graphic designer.

His work is characterized by capturing the essence of his subjects through bold and expressive brushstrokes, with vivid colors and simplified forms. He has an unmatched ability to distill complex emotions and ideas into simplified yet powerful visual images, which makes me believe he paints like a designer. His work often features minimalist compositions, with clean lines and flat planes of color, creating a sense of timeless elegance that is both modern and classic.

Katz's work has had a significant impact on the development of contemporary art.

Alex Katz was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1927. He studied at the Cooper Union School of Art and later at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. Katz began painting in the 1940s and quickly gained recognition for his unique style and approach to painting. However, it wasn't until the 1950s and 1960s that he began to gain wider recognition, particularly for his portraits and landscapes. Today, Katz's work can be found in the collections of major museums and galleries around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Tate Modern in London, and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.

Despite his age, Katz continues to work today and has remained active in the art world, exhibiting his work in major exhibitions and galleries around the world.

If dreams do come true, I hope to meet him one day.