The article follows the behind-the-scenes process of installing "Alex Katz: Out of Sight" at the Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine. It details how curator Kiko Aebi spent a year researching and selecting 95 drawings from Katz's seven-decade career, working with senior preparator Christopher Patch to frame and install works sourced from Colby's collection, Katz's studio, and institutions like MoMA and the Whitney. The exhibition opened in late May 2025, featuring drawings from the 1940s through 2025 on coral pink walls.
This piece matters because it demystifies the labor-intensive, collaborative work of art installation—often invisible to the public—and highlights the expertise of preparators and curators in preserving and presenting fragile works on paper. It also underscores Colby College Museum's commitment to showcasing living Maine-connected artists like Alex Katz, offering insight into how a major survey exhibition is conceived and realized from initial research to final hanging.