Alex Katz

The fifth guest of Galleri Star was one of the most stylistically pure artists of the modern painting.

Alex Katz (b. 1927) is American, and one of the leading figures in post-war figurative art. He is well known for his large-scale portraits of friends and family – stylised, with pop-art traits –but he also paints landscapes and interiors, in addition to working in prints, drawing, and sculpture.

The exhibition at Vestfossen displayed a good selection of paintings and prints dating back to 1983. Most were portraits, including some of his wife Ada, who has been his most important model since they married in 1958.

Is it possible to give a truthful expression of how the visible world is perceived through our senses? Well, this is part of the Katz project. His cool style springs from exactly this. The way our senses perceive colours and surfaces. The interplay of the surfaces, without shadows or contours. The colours are strong, fresh and subtle; they are reproduced as Alex Katz sees them. This gives his works a distinctive character that is easy to recognise.

Participating artists

• Alex Katz