White Lotus 1 (from the Portfolio of 10) - Paris | Musée d'art Moderne: Alex Katz (2027 - 2028), 2023

Alex Katz   Master Artists

This artwork presents a minimalist portrayal of two figures set against a serene blue backdrop. The foreground features a male figure in profile, exuding a calm confidence, with defined contours and nuanced shading accentuating his features. Beside him, a female figure gazes forward, distinguished by her sleek, long hair and enigmatic round sunglasses. The subtle interplay of light and shadow across their faces injects vitality into the composition, while the choice of a limited color palette enhances the image's modernist aesthetic. The simplicity of the background directs full attention to the figures, emphasizing their poised expressions. This work captures the essence of cool detachment, blending realism with abstraction, and invites viewers to ponder their story and relationship.

White Lotus is a series of ten original graphics by US-american artist Alex Katz. The graphics are based on the TV series of the same name, “The White Lotus". This is a social satire conceived as a television series by Mike White. The first season was broadcast very successfully in the USA in July and August 2021. Alex Katz is a big fan of this TV series and was inspired by it to create the new series of original graphics. The people depicted are his neighbors in Maine.

During his long and tireless creative phase, Katz advanced American painting with his cool, two-dimensional depictions of figures and landscapes, without allowing himself to be pigeonholed into categories such as pop, realism, or minimalism. As Calvin Tomkins noted in his 2018 portrait of Katz for The New Yorker, “He has always gone his own way, which for the past seven decades has never corresponded to the mainstream of art." This path was partly shaped by the medium of cinema, through his use of monumental canvases, dramatic lighting, and repetitive figures.

The prints do not depict characters or scenes from the television series “The White Lotus." Katz is known for painting people from his circle—most notably his wife Ada, his son Vincent, and his daughter-in-law Vivien—but the figures he paints in this series are strangers by comparison. They are based on photographs he took on a beach in Maine, where Katz has owned a summer house since 1954. Each of the ten prints in “White Lotus" shows two beachgoers, a man and a woman, with three different couples depicted.

The paintings, which focus closely on the faces and upper bodies of the figures—a technique partly inspired by Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni—exude an enigmatic atmosphere that oscillates between tension and sensuality, conveyed by Katz's characteristic brushwork: broad and dispassionate, a seamless fusion of representation and abstraction. The figures are “not really meant to be 'people,' but symbols—though it remains eerily and satisfyingly unclear what exactly they stand for, frozen in the blinding light of summer in New England.

In the sun-soaked paradise of a Hawaiian resort, “White Lotus" unfolds as a riveting exploration of human nature against the backdrop of privilege and luxury. Created by Mike White, this HBO series delves into the lives of guests and staff at an exclusive tropical resort, weaving together a tapestry of drama, humor, and social commentary.

Set within the confines of the luxurious White Lotus resort, the series peels back the layers of its characters, exposing their vulnerabilities, desires, and flaws. From the entitled vacationers seeking escape from their lives to the diligent employees navigating the whims of demanding guests, each character is a complex study in their own right.

At the heart of the narrative are the guests, whose arrival sets the stage for a collision of egos, ambitions, and insecurities. The Mossbacher family, headed by the overbearing Nicole (played by Connie Britton) and her passive-aggressive husband Mark (Steve Zahn), epitomizes privilege and entitlement. Their entitled teenage daughter Olivia (Sydney Sweeney) and socially awkward son Quinn (Fred Hechinger) add layers of tension to their family dynamics.

Opposing them is the enigmatic Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge), a grieving widow seeking solace in the wake of her husband's death. Tanya's eccentricities and vulnerability make her both endearing and unpredictable, as she navigates the complexities of grief and self-discovery.

Meanwhile, the resort staff, led by the conscientious manager Armond (Murray Bartlett) and the ambitious spa director Belinda (Natasha Rothwell), grapple with their own challenges while striving to maintain the illusion of paradise for their guests. Through their eyes, we witness the invisible labor that upholds the facade of luxury, as well as the power dynamics that shape their interactions with the guests.

As the series unfolds, tensions simmer beneath the surface, threatening to erupt into chaos at any moment. From forbidden romances to simmering resentments, each episode peels back another layer of the characters' facades, revealing the raw humanity beneath.

“White Lotus" is more than just a gripping drama—it's a searing critique of privilege, inequality, and the pursuit of happiness in an age of excess. Through its nuanced characters and razor-sharp dialogue, the series challenges viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about society and themselves.

In its exploration of power dynamics, social hierarchies, and the search for meaning in a world defined by wealth and status, “White Lotus" offers a compelling and thought-provoking journey into the heart of paradise—and the darkness that lurks beneath its surface.

Alex Katz is particularly famous for his figurative paintings: The son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, he was born in New York in 1927. As a pioneer of Pop Art, he always concentrated on the essentials and explored simplified forms and high-contrast color composition early on. His art is diverse, but always has beauty as its central theme. The artist can now look back on more than 200 solo and around 500 group exhibitions; his diverse works are part of over 100 collections worldwide. Alex Katz lives and works in New York and Maine.

In 2025 we recommend the following Alex Katz exhibitions:

Alex Katz: Four Seasons

SCAI Piramide, Tokyo
Alex Katz

Gladstone Gallery, 24th Street, New York
2026

Alex Katz : Theater and Dance

Wichita Art Museum, Kansas