Alex Katz Grace, 2021
In Grace (2021), Alex Katz explores the subtleties of human facial expressions, as indicated by a faraway gaze, the tilt of a head or the arch of an eyebrow. This is intensified through the close cropping and cinematic lighting of the portrait, in which the woman’s face nearly fills the pictorial space, framed by her vibrant red hair that contrasts with the pink background.
The artist’s minimal aesthetic and the pristine flatness of his painted surfaces anticipated Pop art in many ways, although Katz defines his work independently of any particular movement. Instead, he considers himself a painter of the ‘immediate present’, using techniques borrowed from the imagery of television and cinema to arresting effect. As the designer Calvin Klein describes, ‘they’re extremely expressive and perfectly capture the essence of his subjects. You can’t help but notice these women, these beautiful enigmas drawn in bold and certain strokes.’
The exhibition Alex Katz: Mondes flottants / Floating Worlds, curated by Eric de Chassey, will be on view at our Paris Pantin gallery from 12 September—20 November 2021.
