Alex Katz Discusses His Latest Exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art Tonight

At a time when abstract expressionism dominated the international art market, Alex Katz explored abstraction with recognizable imagery by reducing his compositions to their most fundamental elements: line, form and color.

In hindsight, these compositions foreshadowed the rise of pop art in the 1960s. Brand-New & Terrific: Alex Katz in the 1950s is currently on view in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation Hall through Aug. 6. The exhibition is organized by the Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine, and curated by Diana Tuite, Katz curator at Colby.

In conjunction with the exhibition, Katz and Tuite will discuss the artist’s career and works at 7 p.m. tonight in the CMA’s Gartner Auditorium. Admission to the discussion is free, but registration is required. To register, visit engage.clevelandart.org or call the museum.

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This article appears in May 10-16, 2017.