Alex Katz Vivien For Sale

Vivien Prints by Alex Katz | Buy & Sell | Guy Hepner

The Vivien series is among Katz's most quietly compelling portrait projects — a study of a single sitter across multiple editions and periods, exploring the human face as both intimate subject and formal problem. Like the Ada series, the Vivien works demonstrate Katz's conviction that sustained attention to a single subject reveals more than the panoramic survey.

Market Performance

Vivien X 5 achieved US$30,000 at Artsy Auction in September 2023, while Vivien in White Coat (S. 741) realised US$10,160 at Phillips in April 2024. These results confirm sustained collector interest across the Vivien series, with prices varying according to edition size, period, and the prominence of the composition.

About the Series

The Vivien prints are characterised by Katz's signature reduction: the face rendered in flat planes, the background suppressed to a single field of colour, the personality of the sitter conveyed not through psychological depth but through the precision of physical observation. The white coat motif in particular demonstrates his ability to use clothing as a graphic element — a field of near-white tones against which the face and hair become the key formal events of the composition.

Collecting Vivien Works

The Vivien series offers collectors a more intimate entry point into Katz's portraiture than the larger, more celebrated Ada works, while representing the same formal rigour and sustained attention. Guy Hepner can advise on current availability and pricing across all editions in the series.