Alex Katz’s Big Smile (Vivien), 2021 is just one the artists portrayals of his daughter-in-law, Vivien Bittencourt. The soft colors of the monochromatic seafoam background help juxtapose the warmer undertones of her skin and the bright red shirt at the bottom of the page. The minimal use of lines, a staple of Katz works, highlights the tenderness he felt toward her, choosing to capture a transitory moment of joy, a smile cast upon her face as she grins towards the audience. Shadows dance across her face, showing the dimples in her cheeks by way of suggestion; a small earring made a diamond like material glitters as the light reflects from the source. There is a sentimentality that oozes off the page and within the small yet meticulous details the artist includes. In his later years, Katz became interested in close cropping of his subjects, choosing to showcase a wide, toothy smile of a woman he cared for as family as the focal point of this painting. Alex Katz creates a kind of austerity in this work of art through use of color and the clear lines, but nevertheless the portrait allows the viewer to feel many emotions.

Created in 2021, this archival pigment ink on Innova Etching Cotton Rag 315 gsm paper is hand-signed by Alex Katz (Brooklyn, 1927 - ) in the lower image and is from the edition of 100.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
Alex Katz Big Smile (Vivien), 2021 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the sale of the work).

1. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this artwork.

About the Framing:
Framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, Alex Katz Big Smile (Vivien), 2021 is presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.