Artwork
Alba
Artist
Alex Katz
(American, born 1927)
DepartmentContemporary Art
Date1992
MediumAquatint
Dimensions34 1/2 x 28 in. (87.6 x 71.1 cm)
Credit LineSan Antonio Museum of Art, Purchased with funds provided by Andrew Novak in honor of Walter F. Brown, Sr.
Object number99.30.2
Copyright© Alex Katz / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
DescriptionPortrait of a woman wearing a black garment with short black hair viewed from the hip up. The sitter is pictured both frontally and partially from behind. The background is a neutral tone.Label TextThis portrait is of the wife of painter Francesco Clemente, both of whom were close friends of the Katz’s. Though no mirror is visible, the back of Alba is pictured as if she were standing in front of one. The result is a more complete, though nontraditional, portrait. Alba is seemingly a polished woman; however, the subtle detail of the wisps of hair suggests a looseness not visible in her posture or dress.
Alex Katz is a figurative painter, printmaker, and sculptor known for creating flat, stark portraits of his friends, family, and colleagues. His monochrome backgrounds became a defining characteristic of his style and separated him from more gestural painters and those engaged with hyperrealism.
(Anna Stothart, 2016)InscriptionsSigned and numbered in pencil, lower right: Alex Katz 63/100Not on view
Walker Evans
Summer 1936, printed later
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
