Friday, December 07, 2007

alex katz

Today I had some time to kill before a dentist appointment, so I explored a series of elevated walkways between buildings in downtown Kansas City. I pleasantly surprised to find an art collection in the middle of it.

The work was all contemporary realism, and most of it I didn't like, except for this painting by Fairfield Porter:



But then I turned around and saw a great big painting that looked like something by Alex Katz. I took a few steps closer and read the title plate. It was!

I couldn't believe it. A huge Katz from 1971. It was of a couple sitting on a couch and another couple sitting across from the min arm chairs. They appeared to be in conversation. One guy was smiling. He looked an awful lot like this guy.

Such a cool discovery. This totally unique, classic work by a contemporary master, just hanging in the middle of mundane office-space downtown Kansas City.

2 comments:

Applecart T. said...

Do you know whose hallway/walkway/collection it is? Would like to see/know.
Congrats on the mileage. I'm impressed. And now Allie's into it, too. Wow.

Joe Miller said...

It's in the series of walkways between the Commerce Bank buildings downtown. Have you ever been in the Petticoat lane building where the EDC used to be? That building is at the south end of the walkways. The gallery is in the part of the walkways right by the main lobby of Commerce Bank.