"Alex Katz: Gathering" at the Guggenheim

"The Cocktail Party" (1965) 

Seeing an Alex Katz painting is always a pleasure. But stepping into the Guggenheim and looking up to see his work extend over each of the Museum's six floors -- reached by walking the circular ramps -- is an experience. "Alex Katz: Gathering" is a wonderful retrospective that the artist collaborated with the Guggenheim to mount. With 200+ solo shows and another 500 group exhibits on his resume, it's not exactly new territory for the artist. And yet "Gathering" is noteworthy as the first retrospective of his work in New York since an exhibit at the Whitney in 1986. 

Katz has been at his craft for 80 years. Now 95, the artist is still going strong. His work has been surprisingly consistent over time. Sure, he's done some landscapes and his process has changed with the times (think using an iPhone versus a cumbersome camera to capture the initial image), but you can spot a Katz figurative work from across the room. And it's always a work I make a beeline to enjoy. 

"The Black Dress" (1960) 

Many of Katz' paintings feature his wife Ada. In fact, one article reported a cocktail party conversation in which a partygoer asked about the identity of a couple standing across the room. "I don't know who the man is," someone replied. "But the woman is Ada." The man, of course, was Katz himself. He has, in a sense, made Ada a brand. She is an icon of beauty and calm and sophistication. The wall card for this work said she has "a role as abstract as that of Helen of Troy." I'm not sure the analogy is exactly on point, but I get what the Museum was going for. 

Obviously, Ada has settled in to her role as Katz' principal model. But I'd feel remiss if I didn't mention that Ada is more than a pretty face. She majored in biology and received a Fulbright scholarship to study in Milan. The year was 1957. When she came back to the States, Ada was one of a handful of women who worked in the lab at Sloan Kettering. A friend she'd met while studying abroad introduced her to Katz. The rest, as they say, is history. 

Andrea with "Five Women (Study for Times Square Mural) (1976)

Katz' trademark style is inspired by 1950s popular culture, especially advertising. It's worth remembering that his career began at a time when Abstract Expressionism was all the rage. But Katz was interested instead in finding a new way to depict the human figure. He wanted to capture people in a particular moment rather than revealing their interior world. "I can't think of anything more exciting than the surface of things," he told an interviewer back in the 1960s. Which brings us to the work in the show that both Andrea and I were surprised -- and delighted -- to discover -- Katz' cutouts. 

"Edwin and Rudy" (1958) with "Paul Taylor Dance Company" (1963-64)

As it turns out, Katz created his first cutout in 1959. They are quite wonderful (and not only because it's fun to pose with them). Aluminum seems the perfect material for a Katz painting. The "surface" of which he is so enamored is accentuated in this format. And yet they do not seem superficial in any way. 

The works in any exhibit are in conversation with one another at some level. But finding cutouts like Edwin and Rudy alongside a painting makes one imagine they might actually be talking about the art and that they will soon move on to view another work.  I love them. 

"Park Avenue Departure" by Katz (2019)

Katz' standing figures are also tailor-made for outdoor display. In 2019, the medians on Park Avenue between 52nd and 60th Streets were home to seven eight foot tall cutouts of Ada. The cutouts were made of porcelain enamel on shaped steel so they could weather the elements. How wonderful to be riding in a cab down Park Avenue and suddenly catch Ada out of the corner of your eye. And this wasn't the first -- or last -- time Katz' work has literally been in the public eye. Even more glorious are the 19 -- yes, 19 -- Katz works located in the 57th Street and 6th Avenue subway stations. Click here to see an image of some of them. (Note to self: Spend time checking out art in subway stations during my next trip to NY.) And click here to see the Time Square mural from 1977 whose maquette is pictured above. 

"Picnic at the Beach" (1960)

Admittedly, I digressed there from the exhibit at the Guggenheim, but Katz' public art is just too great not to share. (I am trying not to use the word "wonderful" over and over, but it's really the adjective that keeps coming to mind.) I'll end with another surprise -- to me, at least -- that opened the exhibit. Back in the 1950s, Katz created small collages made by cutting forms from hand-colored paper with a razor. Even in this picture you can tell that each component was separately placed on the paper. The wall card noted that the flatness of the figures and the clean lines are a precursor to Katz' later work. The artist reportedly said that the collages marked "the first time I knew I was making art."  Indeed he was, and indeed he continues to do so some 60 years later. 

"Alex Katz: Gathering" will continue on display at the Guggenheim through February 20th. Don't miss it if you're in the area.