Alex Katz

Marlborough Gallery, Inc., New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above in October 1974

 

Waltham, Brandeis University, Rose Art Museum, Alex Katz in the '70s, May - July 1978, cat. no. 14, p. 34, illustrated
New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, Alex Katz, March - June 1986, pl. 68, p. 102, illustrated in color

This work is in good condition overall. There is evidence of wear and handling around the edges as well as scattered fine surface abrasions. In addition, there are 2 small areas of restoration; the first is located 2 inches from the right edge and 33 inches from the bottom edge and the second is located 19 ¼ inches from the left edge and 33 inches from the bottom edge as well as a few additional pinpoint spots of inpainting all of which are visible under raking light as well as ultra violet light conditions. Framed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

INTRODUCTION TO THE COLLECTION:
As a young couple in the 1960s, Sidney and Susan Merians discovered and cultivated their shared passion for art, frequenting gallery openings and museum exhibitions in New York.  Both from families of recent émigrés, Sidney and Susan quickly became engaged with artists such as Alex Katz and gallery owners including Grace Borgenicht and Pierre Levai of Marlborough.  Together, Sidney and Susan explored the work of established artists as well as emerging artists, and acquired pictures as varied as the elegant, neo-classical drawing by Picasso and the strikingly beautiful charcoal by Matisse, to the vibrant, monumental oils by Fernando Botero and Alex Katz, all of which will be offered this May. 

As Chairman of the New Jersey State Museum from 1978 to 1980, Sidney was responsible for leading fundraising efforts and museum acquisitions. In 1975, he approached Alex Katz with the then innovative fundraising idea of a limited print for one of his paintings, which was sold to museum members and collectors.  Shortly thereafter, when the New York Public Arts Council of the Municipal Art Society awarded Katz a commission for Times Square, the artist approached Susan to be one of the 11 women whose portraits he painted on a billboard that stretched 240 feet around the corner of 42^nd Street and Seventh Avenue. 

After Sidney's death in 1984, Susan continued her interest in the arts, serving on the board of trustees of the Friends of the Princeton University Art Museum as well as an honorary Trustee of the New Jersey State Museum.  Susan combined her knowledge of cooking, nutrition and gardening by assembling an extraordinary collection of Chelsea porcelain from the mid-1700s and Majolica from the mid-1800s, which will be offered in the fall. 

Sidney and Susan will be remembered by friends and family for many things, including their discerning and passionate interest in the arts.  Sotheby's is honored to offer the following work from their exceptional collection.

CATALOGUE NOTE:
Arriving on the Manhattan art scene during the frenzied heyday of Abstract Expressionism, when nonrepresentational imagery was trusted as the pinnacle reflection of post-war conditions, Alex Katz stood as a visionary champion of a return to figurative work. Through portraiture, the artist discovered that he could explore the depths of the human psyche without loosing a number of the modernist missives. Katz's expansive paintings are a continuation on the Expressionists' emphasis on flatness and color.  By framing his subjects in a planar color field, the painter leans on the richness of the paint to lend expressive weight to his images. Yet for all the emotional gravitas that Katz imbues in his paintings, his stylized figures and large-scale canvases pre-date the later Pop Movement's reliance on commercial imagery for punchy graphic motifs. His uncluttered canvases often resemble billboards.

A principal leader of the Pop Art movement Alex Katz spent the 1970s painting his exquisitely crafted portraits. Without relying on photography as a reference like many portraiture artists, Katz preferred to work from life. His highly attuned perception of individuals and their environment lends an energy and truth to his works. His confidence in his own vision is apparent in his portraits, as the subjects have a dazzling strength and unity of character. That his paintings are uncluttered by superfluous objects merely emphasizes his painterly devotion to simplistic visual iterations of stylistic power.

With its bright, expansive canvas and finely executed brushwork, Alex Katz's Vincent with Radio stands as a totemic example of the painter's 1970s portraiture work. Over the years Katz often focused on his son Vincent as a subject for his paintings. As the years progress, the audience of Katz's work bears witness to the evolution of this boy into a man, accompanied by the various moods inherent in the maturation process. In Vincent with Radio, Katz depicts his son in an unguarded moment. While the vivid colors of Vincent's accoutrements – a peach sun hat, a dazzling yellow beach chair – evoke the thrill of a teenage summer vacation, the focal point of the painting, Vincent's face, is shrouded in shade and suspended in contemplation. Viewed as a whole, Vincent with Radio stands as a powerful example of Katz's exploration of intimacy, stylized aesthetics and expression through his color palette.