Alex Katz Ada (Purple), 2022 is a unique minimalist work that captivates the eye. Though Katz is known for having no one artistic style, Ada (Purple) uniquely breathes new life into his oeuvre. Though simple in its execution, the elegance of this work resides in the thin white lines that are used to create an outline of a face, the beginnings of a work. However instead of rendering the work with additional colors, he leaves the negative space open, allowing the deep purple background to contrast the white lines, causing them to stand out boldly. The crisp lines trace lines around her features, where he ‘paints faster than he can think’, tapping into a meditative stream of consciousness that eliminates the possibility of second guessing.

Having met Ada Del Moro at a gallery opening in the East village in 1957, this marked a momentous period in Katz life that opened doors for his career, and his life. The very first portrait Katz made of Ada was the same year they met, an oil on Masonite work of her seated with hands demurely crossed. This work marked the beginning of Katz’s serious interest in portraiture and the start of a lifetime’s worth of portraits of Ada.

His portraiture of Ada throughout their tenure of their lives highlights the evolving and aging relationship between husband and wife, artist and muse. Having created portraits of Ada that span over six decades, Katz has portrayed Ada as everything from a demure 20-something to a mother with child to a mature woman—individually they represent Katz’s dedication to the genre, but together they illustrate the artist’s never-wavering dedication to the love of his life.

Created in 2022, this archival pigment ink on Woodcut on Somerset Satin White 300 gsm fine art paper is hand-signed by Alex Katz (Brooklyn, 1927 - ) in pencil in the lower left. Numbered from the edition of 75 in pencil in the lower right.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
Alex Katz Ada (Purple), 2022 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 Ada (Purple), 2022 is presented in a complementary moulding and optical grade Plexiglas.