Celebrating the National Medal of Arts Winners: Ruth Asawa and Alex Katz

October 24, 2024 2:05 pm

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Left to Right: National Medal of Arts recipient Alex Katz with President and First Lady Biden; Medals of the Arts about to be awarded at the October 21, 2024 ceremony. Photos courtesy of the White House.

ARS members Ruth Asawa and Alex Katz were honored with the National Medal of Arts by President Joe Biden during a ceremony at the White House on October 21, 2024. The National Medal of Arts is the highest award given to artists and patrons by the United States government, recognizing individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the arts. This prestigious honor celebrates not only artistic excellence but also the role these artists play in enriching cultural heritage and fostering creativity across communities.

Ruth Asawa (1926-2013)

Ruth Asawa was a pioneering Japanese-American sculptor and arts advocate who transformed the artistic landscape with her innovative wire sculptures. Born in California, Asawa’s early life was marked by the challenges of World War II internment, which paradoxically led to her first formal art training. Her artistic journey truly flourished at Black Mountain College, where she studied under Josef Albers and Buckminster Fuller.

Asawa’s signature style emerged from her experimentation with wire, inspired by basket-weaving techniques she observed in Mexico. Her abstract, looped-wire sculptures, known for their emphasis on lightness and transparency, challenged conventional notions of sculpture.

Beyond her artistic practice, Asawa was a tireless advocate for arts education, co-founding the Alvarado School Arts Workshop and playing a crucial role in establishing San Francisco’s first public arts high school.

Asawa’s relationship with the NEA goes back to 1974, when she was first appointed to the NEA in Education. She also served on the NEA Board of Directors in 1977 and became an NEA Artist in Residence in 1980.

First Row, Left to Right: Desert Flower (1965); Untitled (S.372) (ca. 1954); Untitled (S.459, Hanging Open Form with a Disc, Four Upward Ears, and Four Downward Tails) (ca. 1950-59); Untitled (S.066, Hanging Mobius Strip) (ca. 1968). Second Row, Left to Right: Untitled (Wall-Mounted Tied-Wire, Closed-Center, Four-Petaled Form Based on Nature) (1960s); Untitled (S.467, Hanging Four-Lobed Continuous Form with a Sphere in the Second Lobe) (1951) ; Untitled (CF.13, Sculpture, Continuous Form within a Form) (ca. 1980); Untitled (S.691, Wall-Mounted Paperfold with Horizontal Stripes) (1951)
Artwork © 2024 Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy David Zwirner

Alex Katz (1927-present)

Alex Katz is a renowned American painter and printmaker, celebrated for his distinctive style that bridges the gap between abstraction and realism. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Katz developed his artistic voice in the 1950s, during the height of Abstract Expressionism, yet chose to pursue a more representational approach.

Katz is best known for his large-scale portraits and landscapes characterized by flat colors, simplified forms, and a cool detachment. His work often features family members, friends, and fellow artists, captured with an economy of detail that is both striking and enigmatic. This unique style has influenced generations of artists and helped shape the landscape of contemporary figurative painting.

Throughout his career spanning over seven decades, Katz has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions at prestigious institutions worldwide. His work is included in many major public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Tate Modern.

First Row, Left to Right: Black Hat #2 (2020); Round Hill (1977); Purple Irises on Red (2023). Second Row, Left to Right: Mr. And Mrs. R. Padgett, Mr. And Mrs. D. Gallup (1971); Yellow Flags 4 (2020); Blue Umbrella (1979-1980)
Artwork © 2024 Alex Katz / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY

As ARS celebrates the remarkable achievements of Ruth Asawa and Alex Katz, we recognize not only their artistic brilliance but also the impact their work has had on communities and culture. This recognition with the National Medal of Arts highlights the importance of supporting and promoting their legacies. It also presents an incredible opportunity for brands to capitalize on their prestige by licensing their artwork with ARS.

Ready to elevate your brand with award-winning artists like Asawa, Katz, or other exceptional talents in our roster? ARS helps ensure that all artwork reproductions adhere to high standards and receive proper authorization. When submitting a licensing request, several steps must be followed, which may differ slightly based on the project type. These steps include:

Gather the details of your request, such as the artist(s) name, artwork title and year of the work(s) you wish to license.
Consider where you will obtain a high-resolution image file. ARS does not provide images but only the copyright clearances for the artist’s work. You will need to obtain a license for an image as well. We recommend the image bank company Art Resource. There are few exceptions to this which we can assess with your submission.
Create a project layout, showing how the work will appear within a book, social media post, advertisement, or product.
If your use involves video, film, or TV, include details on the screen time of the image and whether it is ‘referenced’ by actors or ‘not referenced.’
Note that image manipulation and cropping are generally discouraged.
Remember to feature the appropriate credit line in your project.

Navigating copyright permissions can be complex, but with ARS’s expertise, the process becomes seamless. Whether you’re curating an exhibition or launching a commercial project, our team handles the legal details, so you can focus on the bigger picture and move forward with confidence. Contact us at [email protected] to bring your vision to life.

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