Alex Katz, one of the most important and influential artists of the past century.
American artist Alex Katz is best known for his large, stylish, tightly-cropped portraits and landscapes. His signature clean lines, flattened forms, and bold sweeps of colour inhabit a space between Pop Art and Abstract Expressionism which is completely unique to Katz, who has remained staunchly undefined by any particular movement throughout the past 70 years.
Alex Katz said recently he is “more popular now than I ever was”, and it’s true. Interest in Katz’s work has climbed steadily over the years, and he is highly sought-after in today’s market. His prints account for 73% of his work sold at auction, and they generally fetch between £1,000 and £5,000.
To find out more about how much an Alex Katz print might be worth, or how to sell it, contact Mark Littler today. Below is a list of Alex Katz’s six most expensive prints sold at auction.
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Black Dress
The little black dress is a timeless classic in fashion, at once a symbol of versatility and sophistication. It has appeared numerous times across Katz’s body of work, including in his 1960 painting, where his wife, Ada, is shown wearing a black dress from six different perspectives.
This 2015 Black Dress series of prints was sold by Sotheby’s in October 2016 for £86,079. Apparently, Katz invited nine of his female friends to come and pose for him, asking only that they wore a little black dress and black high heels, allowing his models to express their own styles within the parameters he had set. At first glance, there appears to be little difference between the prints, as the women are all depicted in near-identical positions against a vivid yellow background. But upon closer inspection, the viewer sees the subtle variations between them, demonstrating Katz’s extraordinary talent for subtly highlighting individuality and detail.
Black Dress sold by Sotheby’s in 2016
Flowers
Many of Katz’s best-known pieces of art are portraits, however the artist also has a profound interest in landscapes and nature. Katz has been painting en plain air for decades now; the practice allows him to work in natural light and capture, in his words, “the sensation of seeing things for the first time.”
It’s a sensation that certainly imbues this series of vibrant prints from 2021, which was sold by Phillips in June 2022 for £82,000. The series may stem from an extended period of time the artist spent in Pennsylvania in the spring and early summer of 2020 (when the Covid pandemic was rife), during which time he made over 50 paintings, usually of the landscapes, flowers and other natural features that surrounded him. Katz stated that in that sense, “the pandemic was a real assistance to me. There wasn’t anything else to do out there except go walking and make art.”
Flowers sold by Phillips in 2022
Shopping Crowd 1
Katz’s prints and canvases are often defined by broad strokes of colour, but he has also created some striking monochrome works. He started experimenting with printing in black and white in the early 1970s, and it’s a practice that continues to inform his work today. The Shopping Crowd screenprints are all monochromatic variations of the same theme (a crowd of people against a white background), and this particular version was sold by Phillips for £55,000 in June 2023.
Shopping Crowd sold by Phillips in 2023
Blue Umbrella 2
This print features Alex Katz’s longtime muse and model, Ada, who also happens to be his wife of over 65 years. Ada has appeared in thousands of Alex Katz paintings and prints, often as a detached, mysterious, almost-aloof figure who cooly stares back out of the image at the viewer.
The Blue Umbrella 2 print was created in 2020, and it is identical to the 1972 painting of the same name, which might be the most famous of Alex Katz’s works. The image embodies all the main characteristics of Katz’s art, including a closely-cropped figure, flat forms, and bold colours, and the 2020 print remains among Katz’s most popular work to date; this version was sold by Phillips in October 2023 for £49,343.
Blue Umbrella 2 sold by Phillips in 2023
Alex & Ada, The 1960s To The 1980s
This series of eight prints was sold by Sotheby’s in April 2023 for £44,167, and it is a beautiful and enduring testament to the relationship between Alex Katz and his wife and model, the biologist Ada. Featuring titles such as Alex Katz, Self-Portrait (Passing) and Ada with Sunglasses, the series charts a relationship across a span of two decades, capturing the intimacy and beauty of domestic, everyday moments, a recurring theme in Katz’s work.
Alex & Ada, The 1960s To The 1980s sold by Sotheby’s in 2023
Gray Day
Unusually for Katz, this lithograph from 1992 includes both a central figure and a fairly-detailed background. The artist’s portraits are usually presented against a simple background of pure, flat colour designed to make the subject stand out more, but in this print, Katz has taken care to capture the scenic details of a windy, grey day at the beach. The print may be inspired by the coastal light in Maine, where the artist owns a farmhouse and spends every summer, and it was sold by Bonhams Skinner Marlborough in September 2023 for £40,663.
Gray Day sold by Bonhams Skinner Marlborough in 2023
