Ada's Garden

Label TextThis painting depicts a cocktail party. Ada, the figure in the center of the canvas, stands seemingly isolated amongst her guests in the vastness of a stark, black background. The guests converse with careful poise, and from a distance, they appear to be enjoying themselves. Upon closer inspection, the unusual composition and the absence of emotion in the figures creates a tension and unease that is magnified by the enormity of the painting. The title suggests that friendships are like gardens, both requiring a certain amount of cultivation if they are to be successful.
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

DimensionsCanvas (/image): 120 × 240 in. (304.8 × 609.6 cm)

Accession Number 2000.23

Classificationspainting

CopyrightARS

ProvenanceArtist; (Pace Wildenstein Gallery); Des Moines Art Center [purchased from the previous, 2000]

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