Early Life and the Prairie Landscape Alex Katz, born July 24, 1927, in Brooklyn, New York, wasn’t destined for a life immersed in the vibrant hues of the art world. His early years were shaped by the quiet austerity of his Ukrainian immigrant family – his father, Odesa-born, had lost a factory during the upheaval following the Russian Revolution. The family moved to St. Albans, Queens, when he was just a toddler, and later to rural Willingdon, Alberta, in Canada, where he spent much of his childhood. This shift profoundly impacted him; the stark beauty of the Canadian prairies – vast fields…