Straw Hat Vivien

Alex Katz (b. 1927) is an American figurative artist known for his highly stylized paintings, prints and sculpture. His signature style of paired-down portraiture and flat representation was developed in reaction to 1950s Abstract Expressionism, and takes cues from everyday visual culture like advertising and cinema. “Straw Hat Vivien” features a portrait of Vivien Bittencourt, the artist's daughter in law, painted on a green background. In this print, Vivien is resting her hand on the side of her face with one finger on her lower lip. Vivien’s eyes are shadowed by her hat, and sun peaks through the repeating pattern on the hat’s brim. Katz’s formal training in commercial art, as well as various media content like advertisements, movie close-ups, and billboards inspire his style. Today, Katz’s work resides in the The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Tate Modern in London, and the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., among others.