Alex Katz
‚This is Now‘

Bilbao

The American pop art leader Alex Katz is on view at the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum. Sought after for his figurative portraits, mainly featuring his wife and muse Ada, the artist in ‚This is now‘ is presenting what he calls his ‚environmental paintings‘, that refer to large scale monumental landscapes.

Alex Katz began in the 1950s‘ with a very recognizable simple yet captivating stroke. With the difference that, insolicitated at a time in which abstract painting was reigning he is now recognized as a master of pop art exhibited worldwide. With ‚This is Now‘ Katz depicts informal landscapes, primarily of his native Main that occupies a special place and meaning through his body of work. Katz describes his method as capturing the ‚flash‘ moment before an image comes into focus. The so-called ‚present tense‘. Spontaneous and naive at first sight, Katz’s paintings deliver concentrated and dense imagery. His flower paintings are an extension of his cocktail party ones, playing with the common ideas of movement, composition and playfulness.

A video filmed and directed by son and fellow artist Vincent Katz delivers Alex Katz painting secret and routine by following the realization of ‚January 3′, a landscape that includes the portrait of Ada Katz.

Alex Katz, 10:30 am, 2006, Oil on linen, 365.8 x 487.7 cm Courtesy of the artist

Alex Katz, January 3, 1993, Oil on linen, 199.4 x 393.7 cm, Private collection, London

Alex Katz

Guggenheim Bilbao

October 23 – February 07, 2015

Avenida Abandoibarra, 2
48009 Bilbao
Spain

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