Alex Katz turned 95 this past July. That’s hard to believe when looking at the artist and his work since both are characterized by an energy and presence that a 30-year-old might envy. He has been at this for almost eight decades, his dedication ferocious, and while to always bring up his venerability could smack of ageism, the reason it is remarkable (and we care) is not so much longevity per se as it is the perennial, exhilarating freshness of both his work and him. Richard Armstrong, the (soon departing) longtime director of the Guggenheim, said that he considers the artist’s last 10 years his most extraordinary, as he reflected on Katz’s upcoming show at the museum.
Katz is sometimes described as underknown, but underknown by whom? Certainly, anyone who knows anything about American art of the last half century know—and needed to know—about his work.
And the far from reclusive artist has had over 250 solo exhibitions—and counting—with
