Alex Katz: Small Paintings presents a fascinating though less explored side of the artist’s practice by exhibiting Katz’s small paintings alongside his iconic large and distinct canvases. The small works present an alternative perspective to the artist’s larger and more familiar works and reveal a side to his process that is highly gestural and instinctive. Organized by the Boca Raton Museum of Art, this exhibition features small-scale paintings juxtaposed with two major large-scale works.

The small paintings have a powerful visual presence with nuanced subtleties of texture, color, and form. The details in the brush strokes on this intimate scale invite the viewer to establish a closer physical and spatial relationship to the work. The small paintings were crucial in the early stages of Katz’s career, while the artist developed and refined his style, and have remained a part of his vigorous practice for decades. Though some approach abstraction, particularly the landscapes and cityscapes, the works are integral to understanding Alex Katz’s body of work.