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Lot Essay
"Fashion connects with style, and style is what I'm all about."
--Alex Katz, Art, February 10, 2006
The present work dates to the same period as a series of portraits that the artist made of the model Christy Turlington Burns, in conjunction with a series of larger paintings of widely-recognized, highly accomplished women, such as Cindy Sherman, Kiki Smith (both artists) and the artist's wife, Ada. Katz began work on Turlington's portrait in 2004 (doing four full-scale portraits in all), and the two became fast friends. For the large-scale paintings, Katz hand-selected outfits for each model from the Fall collections of prominent fashion designers, and later from Turlington's own Nuala clothing line. Clearly, Katz is interested in the intersection between the high-gloss perfection of fashion photography and the sleek, pop-inspired colors of his youth. Blurring the lines between fashion photography, clothing design and "high art," Katz--even at 78 years of age--yet again re-defines painting for his generation and generations to come.
--Alex Katz, Art, February 10, 2006
The present work dates to the same period as a series of portraits that the artist made of the model Christy Turlington Burns, in conjunction with a series of larger paintings of widely-recognized, highly accomplished women, such as Cindy Sherman, Kiki Smith (both artists) and the artist's wife, Ada. Katz began work on Turlington's portrait in 2004 (doing four full-scale portraits in all), and the two became fast friends. For the large-scale paintings, Katz hand-selected outfits for each model from the Fall collections of prominent fashion designers, and later from Turlington's own Nuala clothing line. Clearly, Katz is interested in the intersection between the high-gloss perfection of fashion photography and the sleek, pop-inspired colors of his youth. Blurring the lines between fashion photography, clothing design and "high art," Katz--even at 78 years of age--yet again re-defines painting for his generation and generations to come.