I was the Associate Curator of this major retrospective that brought together, for the first time, over forty years of landscape paintings by American artist Alex Katz, mostly known for his portraits.
In the catalogue acknowledgments, P.S.1’s Executive Director Alanna Heiss, who curated the exhibition, wrote: “I am indebted to Alessandra Galasso, who spearheaded the early work on the project. Her Italian exuberance for this cool American undoubtedly informed the shape of the exhibition.”
Other venues: The Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, Maryland; The Norton Gallery, West Palm Beach, Florida; The Museum of Modern Art, Portland, Maine.
Alex Katz Under the Stars:
American Landscapes 1951-1995
April 26 — June 21, 1998
P.S.1 The Institute for Contemporary Art (today MoMA/PS1), LIC, New York

Alex Katz
Soho Morning #2, 1987
Oil on canvas
243.8 x 261.6 cm
Alex Katz Under the Stars
American Landscapes 1951-1995
P.S.1 The Institute for Contemporary Art, LIC, New York

Alex Katz
Swamp Maple, 4:30, 1968
Oil on canvas
365.7 x 236.2 cm
Alex Katz Under the Stars
American Landscapes 1951-1995
P.S.1 The Institute for Contemporary Art, LIC, New York

Alex Katz
Yves Field, 1956
Oil on canvas
98.4 x 99.5 cm
Alex Katz Under the Stars
American Landscapes 1951-1995
P.S.1 The Institute for Contemporary Art, LIC, New York

Alex Katz
View, 1987
Oil on canvas
320 x 243.8 cm
Alex Katz Under the Stars
American Landscapes 1951-1995
P.S.1 The Institute for Contemporary Art, LIC, New York

Alex Katz
Woods, 1987
Oil on canvas
203 x 427 cm
Alex Katz Under the Stars
American Landscapes 1951-1995
P.S.1 The Institute for Contemporary Art, LIC, New York

Alex Katz in his studio in Linconville, Maine
Photo: Sarah Schatz

