黑料不打烊

鈥淥r the old, oft-quoted story . . . how, as you work, the room is full of other artists, but as you keep at it, one by one they all leave, and then the work is you. Nonsense鈥攏obody leaves.鈥� 鈥擝ill Berkson

Near the end of his life, the poet Bill Berkson wrote a text in which he likens artistic originality to polyphony: musical harmony created from multiple, overlapping melodies. Unlike the dominant idea of the singular creative genius, Berkson imagines an artist鈥檚 unique perspective as an accumulation of others鈥� voices, insights, and styles鈥攅specially those of close friends and teachers. And when he identifies Alex Katz as one such voice that 鈥淚 hear all the time,鈥� he is certainly in good company: Katz鈥檚 close friendships and deep engagements with generations of poets, choreographers, and visual artists are a defining feature of his lasting cultural impact. 

The works on view intentionally combine different strategies, sources, and techniques to create their powerful effects. Together, they are both a vital presentation of leading contemporary artists and a many-voiced celebration of Alex Katz鈥檚 own creative sensibilities.