Alex Katz was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1927. Raised in a creative household by Russian émigré parents who valued poetry and the arts, Katz developed his artistic vision early on. During the Depression, his family moved to St. Albans, Queens, a culturally diverse neighborhood that shaped his view of modern American life. He attended Woodrow Wilson High School, where he could dedicate his afternoons to art, nurturing the foundation of his signature minimalist style.
In 1946, Katz enrolled at The Cooper Union Art School in Manhattan, where he refined his technique and developed the distinctive visual language that would make him one of the most influential figures in contemporary art. His bold portraits and serene landscapes—marked by clean lines, vibrant color fields, and refined simplicity—bridge realism and abstraction with timeless appeal. Today, Katz’s work is represented in major museums such as MoMA, the Whitney, and Tate Modern, and continues to perform strongly in the international art market.
Read full biography on Read full biography on alexkatz.com.