Alex Katz : theater & dance / contributions by Charlie L. Reinhart with Laurence Hobgood, David Salle, Robert Storr, Jacqueline Terrassa, Jennifer Tipton, Diana Tuite.
"Published on the occasion of the exhibition Alex Katz: Theater and Dance, organized by Colby College Museum of Art, August 16, 2022-February 19, 2023."--Colophon.
Contents:
Beaux gestes / Robert Storr -- Foreword / Jacqueline Terrassa -- A theatrical situation / Diana Tuite -- Productions and projects / Alex Katz with Jennifer Tipton -- Staging pictures / David Salle -- Paintings -- He makes obstacles / Charlie L. Reinhart with Laurence Hobgood.
Summary:
Since Alex Katz first painted the Paul Taylor in 1959, he has invited dancers to model for him. Dance, according to the artist, belongs to the same long tradition of gestures as painting. This publication is the first to examine the many decades of Katz's work for the stage, including the ways that he introduced tenets of postwar painting into theatre and dance aesthetics. I'd never seen anything like it, Katz recalls of his first encounter with the work of dancer and choreographer Paul Taylor. The two partnered on fifteen productions for which Katz innovated with flat lighting, humorous obstacles, and framing mechanisms. His involvement with Paul Taylor led to collaborations with other companies including Yoshiko Chuma, Laura Dean, William Dunas, and Parsons. Among Katz's most celebrated sets is the ensemble of cutouts he created for Kenneth Koch's 1961 production, George Washington Crossing the Delaware. Katz heightened the absurdity of the Revolutionary War-inspired play with Pop-adjacent figures and props. This publication brings together paintings, sketches, costumes, photographs, film stills, and ephemera. Newly-commissioned essays, unpublished materials, and major paintings will provide an overview of Katz's working relationships with individual choreographers and shed new light on avant-garde collaborations in New York between the 1960s and 80s.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.