Canadian painter Allison Katz has made her major Manhattan return with “Outta the Bag,” a solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth’s Wooster Street gallery, per artsy.net.
Opened on May 13, the show is the artist’s first solo presentation in New York City for more than a decade. The collection features a suite of new, site-specific paintings that explore the city’s architectural landscape and its rich art history.
The Montreal-born artist, who moved to London in 2013, rose to prominence following her MFA at Columbia University. Her latest work reflects a deep engagement with the physical and cultural identity of New York. Notable pieces include First Impression (2026), which depicts the Museum of Modern Art’s inaugural 1929 exhibition, and Marginalia (2026), a large-scale rendering of a Central Park West apartment block.
Katz’s return follows high-profile international exhibitions, including a 2022 show in Los Angeles and a major 2024 project at the Aspen Art Museum. The new works at Hauser & Wirth maintain her signature blend of technical precision and intellectual playfulness, often referencing local landmarks such as Walter De Maria’s Earth Room.
A central theme of the exhibition is the concept of self-presentation. In Allusion Cuts (2026), Katz repurposes an image from a fashion campaign, transforming a mass-produced self-portrait into a singular, layered painting. This approach challenges the immediacy of digital “likes” in favour of deeper, instinctive observation.
Reflecting on the exhibition, Katz noted that while her work is in constant dialogue with the past, she sought to return to the city only when she felt ready to offer a specific perspective. “Part of painting’s power is that it doesn’t have to align with the first impression,” she said. “It’s allowed to change.”
•Featured image: Portrait of Allison Katz by Amy Gwatkin. Courtesy of Hauser & Wirth.
