TÜBINGEN.- Alex Katz’s long pursuit of capturing the energy of the present moment is now on full display. Dancing with Reality, a major exhibition at the Kunsthalle Tübingen, has officially opened, offering a rare and expansive look at the artist’s late work.

Running through September 13, 2026, the exhibition brings together 40 large-scale paintings that feel as immediate as they are timeless. Developed in close collaboration with Katz himself, the show spans works from the 1990s to today, including several pieces being presented in Europe for the very first time.

For a painter often linked to Pop Art, Dancing with Reality reframes Katz’s legacy. “He is a transcendental realist,” says curator and Kunsthalle director Dr. Nicole Fritz, highlighting his decades-long commitment to translating perception into painting.

A lifelong pursuit of the “now”

At nearly 99 years old, Katz remains deeply engaged with his work. His paintings continue to revolve around what he calls the “here and now”—a focus that has defined his practice for more than 70 years.

Inside the exhibition, that idea unfolds across a range of subjects: portraits of people close to him, the fluid movement of dancers, light shimmering on water, and seasonal shifts in nature. These are not grand narratives, but fleeting moments—captured, held, and transformed into something enduring.

In his recent work, Katz’s approach feels more immediate than ever. The compositions open up, gestures become broader, and the paintings edge toward abstraction while still remaining rooted in observation.

Beyond the icons

Katz rose to international prominence in the 1970s with his bold, simplified portraits and scenes of modern life—images that would go on to become icons of contemporary art.

But this exhibition moves beyond those familiar works. Organized around recurring themes such as fashion, trees, flowers, and water, Dancing with Reality offers a deeper look at how Katz builds his images. Visitors can also see cartoons and studies, revealing the process behind the finished canvases.

The show also underscores the influence of dance and film on Katz’s work—two mediums that have shaped his sense of rhythm, timing, and composition.

Painting as an act of seeing

At its core, Katz’s work is about perception. His paintings ask viewers to slow down and look—really look—at the world around them.

“There is nothing more extraordinary than really looking,” Katz has said. It’s a philosophy that runs throughout the exhibition, where even the simplest motifs take on a quiet intensity.

Rather than telling stories, his paintings create moments of awareness. They capture something fleeting and give it a kind of permanence—what Katz himself has described as “the now.”

A living, evolving practice

What makes Dancing with Reality especially compelling is its sense of momentum. This is not a retrospective in the traditional sense, but a portrait of an artist still evolving.

Katz’s late works feel expansive and exploratory. Large-scale canvases stretch across the gallery walls, their gestural energy pushing against the boundaries of representation and abstraction.

For Kunsthalle Tübingen, the exhibition also reinforces its role as a space for sensory experience. Katz’s paintings are not just meant to be viewed—they are meant to be felt, physically and emotionally.

As visitors move through the exhibition, they encounter a body of work that is both reflective and alive—rooted in decades of practice, yet fully present.

And in that presence, Katz’s central question continues to resonate: how do you paint the moment you’re in, before it disappears?