Alex Katz

ALEX KATZ (Brooklyn, New York, July 24, 1927).
"Ada x 2," 2020.
Pigmented inks on cotton paper, copy 94/150.
Signed and justified in pencil.
Measurements: 56 x 83 cm; 64.5 x 92.5 cm (frame).

In "Ada x 2", Alex Katz resorts to one of his most recurrent motifs, the portrait of his wife Ada, presented here in a duplicated composition that introduces a game of variation and contrast. The repetition of the image, one in grayscale and the other in color, highlights the artist's interest in perception and in the possibilities of pictorial language applied to graphic work.

Katz's characteristic formal synthesis is manifested in the flat surfaces, the defined contours and the elimination of accessory elements, concentrating attention on the image as a sign. The duality between the two versions reinforces the almost serial dimension of his work and its proximity to pop aesthetics, while emphasizing the immediacy and visual clarity that define his production.

The work, of generous format within contemporary graphics, is fully inscribed in the artist's most recognizable line, where portrait, repetition and contemporaneity converge in an image of strong visual impact.

Alex Katz is one of the key figures of American painting in the second half of the 20th century. He trained at the Cooper Union in New York and later at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, where he developed an interest in plein air painting and formal synthesis.

Since the late 1950s, Katz consolidated his own style characterized by the use of color planes, defined contours and large-format compositions. His work, centered on portraits and scenes of contemporary life, has been considered a precursor of pop art because of its affinity with modern visual culture, although he maintains a clear independence with respect to this movement.

Throughout her career, Katz has exhibited at leading institutions such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Tate, and her work is part of important international collections.