Everything
Collector of great modern art is NOT the detail we were expecting to appear on the resume of Kendall Jenner. But then again, who would have thought Kering would rehire someone they so dramatically let go months before… It’s a strange world.
Over Easter, tequila connoisseur and creative cucumber cutter Kendall Jenner shared a post on Instagram that was intended to highlight that she had found the perfect Easter dress. To be fair, it was a lovely dress from Rodarte but it was the work of art hanging in the background that caught our – and several other cultured – eyes.
“Katz of my dream!” wrote fashion critic Gabriella Karefa-Johnson. ‘Oh, but the Katz” followed Mark Giuducci.
Hanging in the background of the shot taken by Kris Jenner was a large-scale painting by American painter Alex Katz. The things you learn through carefully curated social media feeds!
The painting in question, “Vivien”, 2012, features a close up portrait of the subject in white shirt and sunhat while just out of shot is a second panel that depicts Vivien in a red swimsuit. Flattened surfaces and block colour, it is quintessential Katz at his peak.
Known for his large-scale, flat, and minimalist portraits and landscapes, Katz was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1927 and emerged in the local art scene of 1950s. He distinguished himself from the Abstract Expressionists with his starkly simplified figures and scenes. His work is often associated with the Pop Art movement because of his clear, simplified depiction of modern life and its everyday moments, though Katz himself has often resisted such categorisations, preferring to see his work as a continuation of painting’s more classical traditions.
This isn’t the only Katz that has appeared in the model Jenner’s possession. Several other major works have been spotted in the 28-year-olds home(s) including his iconic Coca-Cola Girl 45 (2019) and Rain (1989).
Jenner has apparently made herself something of a familiar face in the modern art scene–or someone she employs has, sorry call me somewhat cynical–over the past few years. In an appearance in Architectural Digest a few years back the story revealed how Jenner had been carefully amassing her collection, including a standout piece by James Turrell. This piece, a wall sculpture that illuminates her Mediterranean-style mansion with a spectrum of coloured light, was spotlighted as the centerpiece and graced the cover of the magazine. Jenner expressed her excitement about making the Turrell sculpture the focal point of her home, a sentiment fueled by the influence of her brother-in-law Kanye West. West’s admiration for Turrell, demonstrated through a notable $10 million donation to the artist’s Roden Crater project, inspired Jenner’s own appreciation for the Light and Space movement artist.
Jenner acquired the Turrell piece, titled Scorpius, Medium Elliptical Glass (2019), for US$750,000 at a presentation by Pace Gallery in partnership with Kayne Griffin Corcoran at Frieze Los Angeles. Interestingly, Jenner chose to install the piece sideways, a testament to its design flexibility and her personal touch, despite the usual fixed orientation of Turrell’s works.
