American Art Collaborative

In 1982 Esquire magazine commissioned Alex Katz, along with several other artists, to create work featuring the clothing of fashion designer Norma Kamali. Inspired by this project, Katz went on to create Pas De Deux, featuring a series of women wearing Norma Kamali coats. In a 1986 interview for Vanity Fair, Katz asserted, “If you put people in the same designer’s clothes, everyone looks anonymous.” This holds true for Pas De Deux, whose models seem anonymous despite being prominent figures in the arts. The title refers to a deeply entwined duet between a male and female dancer in ballet: Katz highlights the relationship between his paired subjects rather than the individuality of the figures. The allusion to dance draws attention to the specific gestural positions of their bodies, a signature trait throughout Katz’s oeuvre.–Leah Bilodeau ’17