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Born Walnut Creek, California
In this boldly rendered portrait, Alex Katz returns to one of his favorite subjects, Christy Turlington. The work epitomizes the monumental scale, bright colors, and radically simplified compositions that have characterized Katz's art since the 1960s. Fascinated by the interplay between ephemerality and timelessness in fashion and art, Katz portrays the former supermodel in a classic black shift dress, deliberately calling to mind his iconic painting of 1960, The Black Dress.
Turlington, whose mother is from El Salvador, was one of the elite group of "super-models" in the 1980s and 1990s. Her career reflects the growth of celebrity culture in business and merchandizing practices. In 2014, Turlington was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people for her philanthropic work. Her foundation, "Every Mother Counts," seeks to spread awareness about pregnancy, child rearing, and public health, particularly in economically disadvantaged countries.
Alex Katz, 2015 |