Throughout Alex Katz’s seven-decade career, fashion has been a preoccupation. “It’s like you say, ‘yes, yes, no’ to everything that comes in front of you,” the 96-year-old artist tells Vogue. “I’m painting the now, and fashion is now.” Katz’s scrutinous eye comes through vividly in his paintings, sculpture, and prints, which seem to effortlessly capture the essence of the sitter’s style as much as the person themself.
One year after his major Guggenheim retrospective, the New York–based artist is showcasing three bodies of never-before-seen work made between 2021 and 2022 in Alex Katz: Claire, Grass and Water. On view April 17 through September 29 at Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice, the show was curated by the organization’s director, Luca Massimo Barbero, with support from Thaddaeus Ropac gallery. Coinciding with the 60th Venice Biennale, the exhibition ranges from abstracted landscapes—both jubilant and ominous—to pure fashion.
