A comprehensive look at a collection of dynamic works built by visionary artist Alex Katz

Painting Energy highlights a transformative series of gifts from the Alex Katz Foundation to the Portland Museum of Art, encompassing more than 150 multimedia works that articulate Alex Katz's specific vision with a focus on the 1980s as an energetic turning point in art history. Illuminated by rich illustrations, this publication highlights a collection that includes artists with strong ties to the state of Maine, such as Lois Dodd, Rackstraw Downes, and Fairfield Porter; leading artists in American modernism, such as Marsden Hartley, Arthur Dove, Edward Hopper, Martha Diamond, and Stuart Davis; rising contemporary artists, such as Kamrooz Aram and Chase Hall; and other luminaries, such as Phillip Guston, Anselm Kiefer, and Sigmar Polke.

This lavishly illustrated catalogue will include an extended essay introducing the artistic vision for the collection and short reflections from several artists, curators, and scholars, as well as a contribution by Katz himself providing further insight into his important collection.

Distributed for the Portland Museum of Art

Exhibition schedule:

Portland Museum of Art, ME

(May 23-September 14, 2025)

AUTHOR

Mark Bessire

Painting Energy: The Alex Katz Foundation Collection at the Portland Museum of Art