One of the most important painters to emerge in the 1960s, Alex Katz adapted the size and scale of Abstract Expressionism to create a new form of realism. He revolutionized the traditional genres of portraiture and landscape to create distinctly modern pqintings that feature flat planes and radically cropped compositions. Katz attempts to capture "that immediate sensation before you focus." Many paintings, like Ada's Garden, pesent portraits of family and friends, such as his wife Ada who stands alone at the center of a cocktail party. Source: DMAC NEWS, March April 2001
Published ReferencesRobert Storr,"Alex Katz Paints Ada", The Jewish Museum and Yale University Press, 2006
ALEX KATZ GATHERING, ed. by Katherine Brinson with Levi Prombaum, Guggenheim, 2022, illus. p.69, pl.11, text, pg. 69-70, photoand text credit, p. 383
Audio (1)
DSM Speaks Audio Tour with Mamta Israni, Community Member
Run Time: 3:06
Recorded by Mamta Israni, CultureALL Community Ambassador / 2022
Mamta Israni Bio
Mamta Israni has lived in four different countries but considers Iowa her home. She enjoys traveling, gardening, cooking, reading and learning new things.
DES MOINES SPEAKS
DSM Speaks are short audio reflections on artwork in our permanent collection, written and voiced by diverse members of our community. Contributors to this program were selected in partnership with CultureALL and the Des Moines Art Center. We hope by elevating these diverse ways of seeing we can encourage all visitors to connect more deeply and to see themselves and their identities within our walls.