Čís. položky 52 -


Alex Katz


Alex Katz - Post-War e Současné umění I

(born in Brooklyn/New York in 1927)
Peony Incarnation II, Pansy with Aqua, Pansies (3 parts) each signed, dated Alex Katz 00, oil on board, each 22.9 x 30.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
Peter Blum, New York (label on the reverse)

The American Pop artist Alex Katz regards himself as a tool, as the executing force of his works painted directly from nature. His work ignored the trends of the art world from the very beginning: it stands in opposition to the abstraction of his contemporaries such as Pollock or de Kooning.
Alex Katz’ figures, still lifes and landscapes seem to be timeless, unaffected by trends; they look as if they are in the distance, moved away, and encourage the viewer to get lost in them. In his works, the artist wants to record a brief moment of light, a movement in the landscape, the reflections on water, and captures them on the surface. Alex Katz uses his works to turn a brief moment into something of eternal duration.
He shows the “now” and captures light. His eye never tires in its search for a particular moment which it perceives, and passes on to the artist’s arm, to the hand painting the image, and which ultimately ends up in the movement of the paintbrush. The brushstroke is relaxed and has a light touch, exercising its effect as soon as it has been painted. His work remains comprehensible for the viewer. By giving up unnecessary details, Alex Katz reduces the theme to the essential elements, using just a few brushstrokes. In his images, colours and shapes are clearly separated from each other, with Alex Katz successfully, and completely, giving up dark contours. For him, light is a fundamental building block: he surrounds the theme with a light aura and uses a dark shadow in other locations to add contour.
Alex Katz paints light and moments with impressionist perception. This series of works was started as early as the 1950s, and is distinguished by small gestures that can get by without a lot of interpretation. The overall impression of the work counts: its effect unfolds itself both in direct proximity and from a greater distance.
Natural beauty, a subject that has been mocked for years, is combined with the inconspicuous snapshot of a moment, and charmingly transferred into the permanence of his paintings.

“I prefer images with a rather less obsessive kind of energy to them. That leads to more style…
no extravagance, everything a continuous fabric…
My images should never be passionate.”
Alex Katz 1989

27.11.2018 - 18:00

Odhadní cena:
EUR 100.000,- do EUR 150.000,-

Alex Katz


(born in Brooklyn/New York in 1927)
Peony Incarnation II, Pansy with Aqua, Pansies (3 parts) each signed, dated Alex Katz 00, oil on board, each 22.9 x 30.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
Peter Blum, New York (label on the reverse)

The American Pop artist Alex Katz regards himself as a tool, as the executing force of his works painted directly from nature. His work ignored the trends of the art world from the very beginning: it stands in opposition to the abstraction of his contemporaries such as Pollock or de Kooning.
Alex Katz’ figures, still lifes and landscapes seem to be timeless, unaffected by trends; they look as if they are in the distance, moved away, and encourage the viewer to get lost in them. In his works, the artist wants to record a brief moment of light, a movement in the landscape, the reflections on water, and captures them on the surface. Alex Katz uses his works to turn a brief moment into something of eternal duration.
He shows the “now” and captures light. His eye never tires in its search for a particular moment which it perceives, and passes on to the artist’s arm, to the hand painting the image, and which ultimately ends up in the movement of the paintbrush. The brushstroke is relaxed and has a light touch, exercising its effect as soon as it has been painted. His work remains comprehensible for the viewer. By giving up unnecessary details, Alex Katz reduces the theme to the essential elements, using just a few brushstrokes. In his images, colours and shapes are clearly separated from each other, with Alex Katz successfully, and completely, giving up dark contours. For him, light is a fundamental building block: he surrounds the theme with a light aura and uses a dark shadow in other locations to add contour.
Alex Katz paints light and moments with impressionist perception. This series of works was started as early as the 1950s, and is distinguished by small gestures that can get by without a lot of interpretation. The overall impression of the work counts: its effect unfolds itself both in direct proximity and from a greater distance.
Natural beauty, a subject that has been mocked for years, is combined with the inconspicuous snapshot of a moment, and charmingly transferred into the permanence of his paintings.

“I prefer images with a rather less obsessive kind of energy to them. That leads to more style…
no extravagance, everything a continuous fabric…
My images should never be passionate.”
Alex Katz 1989


Horká linka kupujících Po-Pá: 10.00 - 17.00
kundendienst@dorotheum.at

+43 1 515 60 200
Aukce: Post-War e Současné umění I
Typ aukce: Salónní aukce
Datum: 27.11.2018 - 18:00
Místo konání aukce: Wien | Palais Dorotheum
Prohlídka: 17.11. - 27.11.2018