Alex Katz
An American painter who distilled moments of modern life into crisp, large-scale portraits and landscapes, forging a cool visual language between abstraction and pop.
Born 1927 (age 99)·American artist·Birthday: July 24·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Emerging in the 1950s New York art scene, Alex Katz carved out a path distinctly his own against the dominant tides of Abstract Expressionism. He turned instead to the figure and the everyday, painting his social circle, his wife Ada (his lifelong muse), and the landscapes of Maine with a startling flatness and economy of line. His canvases are big, often monumental, yet their effect is one of intimate immediacy. Katz developed a method of painting alla prima—wet into wet—to achieve his signature smooth surfaces and saturated color fields, eliminating psychological depth in favor of a powerful graphic presence. For over seven decades, he has pursued this singular vision, creating a body of work that feels both of its time and timeless, influencing generations of artists with its bold simplicity and commitment to representational painting in an age of conceptual art.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Alex was born in 1927, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alex Was Born
The biggest hits of 1927
#1 Movie
Wings
Alex's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1927Born
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1932Started school
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1940Became a teenager
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1943Could drive
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1945Could vote
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1948Turned 21
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1957Turned 30
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1967Turned 40
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1977Turned 50
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 60
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 70
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 80
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2026Age 99 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Created a vast, decades-long series of portraits of his wife, Ada, that became a central pillar of his artistic legacy.
- Pioneered the use of cut-out aluminum figures, blending painting and freestanding sculpture.
- His 1960 painting 'The Red Smile' is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
- Received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Design in 2010.
Did You Know?
He served in the U.S. Merchant Marine during World War II.
Katz designed sets and costumes for the Paul Taylor Dance Company.
He often works from small, rapid oil sketches called 'quickies' to plan his large paintings.
“I try to paint fast light. Light that is faster than the eye.”
