ALEX KATZ STRAW HAT 3

Alex Katz has been credited as an influence for many later artists, and his work is also seen as a precursor to pop art. However, Katz has admitted that he destroyed a thousand paintings during his first ten years as a painter as he struggled to find his style.

That style, which has been described as “in-your-face kind of painting, love it or hate it,” is characterized by bold simplicity, heightened colors, and flatness of form. When asked, Katz explained that he “was tired of being patronized” and “tired of soft painting.” His goal was to paint faster than he could think, which allowed him to focus on the “immediate present” and ultimately create much more freely.  

Katz began his career with a focus on both portraits and landscapes, using a multi-step process that allowed him to transform a small oil sketch of his subjects into a large work on canvas. In the 1960’s, he started experimenting with printmaking and has since produced over 400 print editions.

Straw Hat 3 (2022) by Alex Katz is archival pigment ink on a 75 ½” x 42” Innova Etching Cotton Rag 315 gsm fine art paper. Straw Hat 3 is an edition of 100 and hand signed in pencil. For more information about Alex Katz or Straw Hat 3, please contact the gallery.