The Eternal in the Now | Alex Katz: The Black Dress. Who am I?

In 1960, Alex Katz painted his wife Ada in a black cocktail dress. However, he did not create a usual portrait, but depicted Ada six times, in different poses, but always with the eponymous black dress. Katz, to whom the Museum Brandhorst is currently dedicating two rooms, is an artist who has remained true to his motifs for decades. It is always about what he himself has seen and experienced.

In his own words, he is concerned with the "elegance and beauty" of his everyday world, without social messages. So much for the artist. As viewers, however, the image gives us an opportunity to enter into a triangular relationship between maker, motif and ourselves, asking the question: Who am I?

In the series “The Eternal in the Now,” art history and theology meet in front of a work of art. This encounter gives rise to a creative dialog that also involves the audience. The talk is preceded by a half-hour musical interpretation on the theme in the neighboring St. Markus Church. With Bettina-Maria Minth, theologian, and Jochen Meister, Education and Learning | Museum Brandhorst

Event begins: St. Markus (Markuskirche), Gabelsberger Str. 6, 80333 Munich, then Museum Brandhorst

A cooperation between the Pinakothek der Moderne and the Evangelische Stadtakademie München, the Lutheran student community at LMU Munich, and St. Markus Church.