Adored by collectors and art lovers the world over, Alex Katz is renowned for his elegant and distinctive version of figuration.
Born in 1927, Katz has been dedicated to art-making since the 1950's - however it wasn't until the 60's when he established his signature 'flat' aesthetic. Over the succeeding decades, Katz kept the tradition of figurative painting alive when it was long considered out of style.
With a deep and direct connection to the poets of the New York School, Katz has collaboratively engaged with its' members throughout his career. Each portrait in Face of the Poet depicts a second-generation New York School poet, interleaved with a poem contributed by each on the subject of contemporary life. Katz was well-acquainted with these poets, a circle of friends with whom he became acquainted in the 1960s and 1970s at parties, poetry readings, and art openings.
This portfolio is based on the cutout ensemble and wall piece Face of a Poet (1977), held in the permanent collection of the MoMA. To create this portfolio, he traced outlines of the physical cutouts onto copperplates, then trimmed the plates into shaped printing surfaces. This unique method in combination with the soft, tonal aquatint technique, demonstrates Katz's ability to skillfully distill & convey an intimate encounter.
This portfolio is a paradigm of Katz's masterful portraiture and keen interest in printmaking and poetry.
Held in the permanent collections of the MoMA, New York; the Whitney, New York; and the Art Institute of Chicago, this portfolio would be an impressive addition to any Katz enthusiast's collection.
The Face of the Poet portfolio consists of twenty-eight sheets (14 prints and 14 interleaving sheets of text) plus the title page and colophon, contained in a wooden box with Plexiglass cover.
This portfolio is sold as a complete set. Additional images available on request.
Questions about this piece? Contact us, call +1.416.704.1720, or visit our Toronto gallery.
"Face of the Poet"
USA, 1978
Portfolio of fourteen aquatints by Alex Katz and fourteen poems by fourteen authors (Ted Berrigan, Kenward Elmslie, John Godfrey, Ted Greenwalk, Michael Lally, Ann Lauterbach, Gerard Malanga, Alice Notley, John Perrealut, Carter Ratcliff, Rene Ricard, Peter Schjeldahl, Tony Towle, and Bill Zavatsky).
Signed and numbered 10/25 in pencil, lower left corner on each print
From an edition of 25
14.5"H 19"W (Each sheet)
Printed by Prawat Laucheron, New York
Co-published by Brooke Alexander, Inc., New York, and Marlborough Graphics, Inc., New York
Very good condition
Literature:
- Maravell 1983, cat. nos. 96-109
- Exh. cat. New York 1987, cat. nos. 23-26
- Alex Katz: Catalogue Raisonné, prints: 1947-2023, listed as cat. nos. 97-110 on pages 158-159.
Notes: This portfolio consists of twenty-eight sheets (14 prints and 14 interleaving sheets of text) plus the title page and colophon, contained in a wooden box with Plexiglass cover made for this work by Takumi Nishio, New York. The aquatints were drawn by the artist on copper plates between January and June 1978. To accompany the portrait, each poet has contributed a poem. Typesetting and printing (letterpress) of the poems on Hodgkinson handmade white wove paper by Tri-Arts Press, New York. Based on the cutout ensemble and wall piece Face of a Poet (1977; Alex Katz 1997, pp. 84/85).
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