Kym
View Similar Items
Alex KatzKym1993
1993
About the Item
Alex Katz
Flat color and minimal forms contrast the often monumental scales of the paintings by Alex Katz through which he creates portraits and landscapes of deceptive simplicity. Although the signature stark style that defines his prints and other work is now recognizable at a glance, it took him a decade to develop. During that time, he has said he destroyed hundreds of paintings.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, to Russian émigré parents, Katz’s family moved to Queens when he was a baby and that is where his family’s passion for the arts supported his early creative interests. In 1946, he enrolled at the Cooper Union in Manhattan where he studied painting under Morris Kantor. While he was influenced by the bold colors and hard edges of modernism, he shifted away from the then-dominant Abstract Expressionism movement to figurative scenes of life that have an inherent cool in their pared-down approach. Especially impactful were Katz’s summer studies between 1949 and 1950 at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine, a place where, as he later wrote: “I tried plein air painting and found my subject matter and a reason to devote my life to painting.”
Katz’s first solo show was in 1954 at Roko Gallery in New York. He experimented over the course of the following years with collage and painting on aluminum sheets, with his work in the 1960s drawing inspiration from film and advertising. In the 1970s, Katz expanded into portrait groups that regularly depicted the cultural scene of New York; in the 1980s, he extended his focus to fashion and its supermodels. Since the late 1950s, an enduring muse for his portraits has been his wife, Ada, while others have painted friends and famous figures. The intimate closeness of the frequently cropped faces in Katz’s portraits exudes a sense of tension with the subjects’ enigmatic expressions and planes of color.
In the 1960s, Katz collaborated with American dancer and choreographer Paul Taylor on sets and costumes. His concentration on landscapes emerged in the late 1980s, with atmospheric night views joining his practice, which had previously been defined by bright colors. Always finding new perspectives on his work, he has explored using iPhone photographs as the basis for large-scale compositions in recent years.
Katz’s prolific career has spanned sculpture, prints and public art along with his paintings and drawings, and his works can be found in the collections of leading museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art and Museum of Modern Art. He has had over 250 solo exhibitions around the world and continues to be acclaimed. In 2022, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum plans to open a major retrospective of his art.
Find Alex Katz art today on 1stDibs.
- Post Office, 33rd and 8thBy Richard EstesLocated in New York, NYRichard Estes Post Office, 33rd and 8th, 2004 color woodcut Image: 16 x 14 3/4 inches Sheet: 23 1/4 x 22 3/8 inches edition of 49 Born in 1932 in Illinois, Richard Estes is regarde...Category
Early 2000s Figurative Prints
MaterialsWoodcut
- The L TrainBy Richard EstesLocated in New York, NYRichard ESTES The L Train, 2017 Woodcut, ed. of 49 image: 16 x 12 inches sheet: 21 x 16 inchesCategory
2010s Photorealist Prints and Multiples
MaterialsWoodcut
- SunriseBy Alex KatzLocated in New York, NYAlex Katz82.6 x 67 Sunrise, 1996 woodcut, edition of 1 TP 32 1/2 x 26 1/2 in. (82.6 x 67.3 cm)Category
1990s Contemporary Prints and Multiples
MaterialsWoodcut
Price Upon Request - Self PortraitLocated in New York, NYWalter Helbig Self Portrait, 1919 woodcut 17 3/8 x 12 1/2 in. (44.1 x 31.8 cm)Category
1910s Abstract Expressionist Portrait Prints
MaterialsWoodcut
Price Upon Request - KymeBy Alex KatzLocated in New York, NYAlex Katz Kyme, 1993 woodcut printed in pink, edition of 30 24 x 19 in. / 61 x 48.3 cmCategory
1990s Contemporary Figurative Prints
MaterialsWoodcut
$2,000 - UntitledBy Natvar BhavsarLocated in New York, NYUntitled, 1968 Sreenprint 21 1/2 x 21 1/2 inches Edition of 20 Biography Natvar Bhavsar (b. 1934) is an Indian born American artist. He is known for his abstract expressionist and color field paintings. Bhavsar earned is MFA at the University of Pennsylvania School...Category
1960s Abstract Abstract Prints
MaterialsScreen
Price Upon Request
- Sumo Wrestling TournamentBy Toyohara KunichikaLocated in Austin, TXToyohara Kunichika "Sumo Wrestling Tournament" Woodcut Print on Paper 13.5 x 28.5" Framed size 35 x 20" The print pictures an exciting scene featuring t...Category
Late 19th Century Figurative Prints
MaterialsRice Paper, Woodcut
Price Upon Request - Winslow Homer 19th Century Woodcut Engraving "Making Hay"By Winslow HomerLocated in Alamo, CAThis Winslow Homer woodcut engraving entitled "Making Hay", was published in Harper's Weekly in the July 6, 1872 edition. It depicts a two men hand cutting high grass on a hill. The man in the foreground is looking at a young boy and a girl (presumably his children), who are sitting on the ground with a picnic basket. This beautiful Homer woodcut engraving is presented in a brown wood frame and a light beige fabric mat with a black inner mat. The print is in excellent condition. There are two other Homer woodcut engravings in identical frames and mats that are listed on 1stdibs. See LU117326148332 and LU117326148272. These would make a wonderful display grouping. A discount is available for the purchase of two or all three of these prints. This Winslow Homer engraving...Category
1870s American Impressionist Landscape Prints
MaterialsEngraving, Woodcut
- Winslow Homer 19th Century Woodcut Engraving "The Morning Walk"By Winslow HomerLocated in Alamo, CAThis Winslow Homer woodcut engraving entitled "The Morning Walk, Young Ladies' School Promenading the Avenue", was published in Harper's Weekly in the...Category
1870s American Impressionist Landscape Prints
MaterialsEngraving, Woodcut
- Don Quixote de La Mancha: Signed Limited Edition Woodcut Portrait by De GroatLocated in Alamo, CAA limited edition woodcut portrait of Don Quixote de la Marcha by George De Groat (1917-1995). Don Quixote is instantly recognizable due to his thin fa...Category
Late 20th Century American Modern Portrait Prints
MaterialsWoodcut
- Non-accidental shapes - XX Century, Colorful Woodcut & Linocut, Abstract PrintBy Ryszard GieryszewskiLocated in Warsaw, PLRYSZARD GIERYSZEWSKI (born in 1936) Graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw in 1964. He is a member of International Association XYLON in Switzerland. He participated in mo...Category
Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Prints
MaterialsPaper, Linocut, Woodcut
- Sled - XX century, Woodcut print, Black and white, WoodcutBy Ludwik MaciągLocated in Warsaw, PLLUDWIK MACIĄG (b. 1920- d.2007) Studied at the Faculty of Painting at the Academies of Fine Arts in Cracow and Warsaw. He graduated in 1951. He was a professor and a dean of the Facu...Category
Late 20th Century Other Art Style Figurative Prints
MaterialsWoodcut, Paper