“Painting Energy” Presents Works From the Alex Katz Foundation Collection
Marsden Hartley, On the Beach (1940–41). Oil on Masonite, 22 × 28 in. Gift of the Alex Katz Foundation. Courtesy of Luc Demers.
A globally celebrated painter, Alex Katz also collects work from other artists to demonstrate support, friendship, and artistic appreciation. Anticipating the opening of Painting Energy, an exhibition of works from The Alex Katz Foundation Collection at the Portland Museum of Art, we spoke with Vincent Katz, the son of Alex Katz and Director of The Alex Katz Foundation, on the curatorial ethos behind this exhibition.
Xuezhu Jenny Wang: We’d love to know more about the “quiet support approach”—what qualities does Alex look for in the emerging artists he has supported over the years via acquisitions? Were these connections similar to some form of mentorship?
Vincent Katz: Alex does not engage in mentorship with artists whose work the foundation collects. On the contrary, the foundation’s support starts with a direct response to the work that ignites his interest. It could be the work of an emerging artist or an older artist who Alex feels has not gotten the recognition they deserve, or who is suddenly doing new and interesting work.
Jane Freilicher, One Cat, Two Fish (1974). Oil on linen, 50 × 63 ½ inches. Gift of the Alex Katz Foundation. ©Estate of Jane Freilicher. Image courtesy Petegorsky/Gipe Photo.
XJW: The show is titled “Painting Energy”—as a painter himself, is there a medium that Alex gravitates towards when it comes to collecting? How do other non-painting media fit into the scope of “Painting Energy,” if applicable?
VK: The Alex Katz Foundation supports work in a variety of media, including photography, sculpture, drawing, video, and installation, in addition to painting. That said, there is a primary focus on painting as a particular art form with its own significant history. Alex is always looking to find artists doing new and interesting things in the painting medium.
XJW: For Alex and for the Foundation, what’s the relationship between art-making and collecting? How do these two paths interweave and influence each other?
VK: Painting and making art in general are basically solitary activities. The artist is alone in their studio, and they must confront the complicated question of what to make and how to work. Afterward, there is a social aspect, when the artist invites people to see the work, or people meet at openings or other social situations. The foundation does not think of what it does as collecting. Rather, it is a conduit to connect interesting artists with institutions that are excited to give the work a home. Some of the artists the foundation collects do happen to be people Alex has known in his circle for decades—Rudy Burckhardt, Yvonne Jacquette, and Rackstraw Downes come to mind—but this is a small proportion of the artists whose work the foundation has supported.
Charles Burchfield, A Fallen Tree (1917). Gouache on paper, 17 ½ x 20 ½ in. Gift of the Alex Katz Foundation. Image courtesy of Luc Demers.
XJW: What defines the ongoing mission of the Alex Katz Foundation? In addition to this PMA show, are there future projects in the works that you could share with us?
VK: The central mission of the foundation is to support the work of younger, emerging, and mid-career artists. The foundation also has a mission to support museums, especially smaller, regional museums, and for that purpose, the foundation will look at the work of better-known artists.
