Art Review reports that the Whitney Museum and the High Line are kicking off a new long-term collaboration with a painting by Alex Katz, set to be unveiled in mid-July. A blown-up digital print of Katz’s Katherine and Elizabeth (2012) will be installed on the North-facing wall of 95 Horatio Street, a residential building that faces the southernmost exit of the High Line.

The original painting has never been shown publicly. Katz was a logical choice to launch the collaboration, given both his long history with the Whitney and his ongoing commitment to public art. He has worked in conjunction with both Creative Time and the Art Production Fund to produce prior public artworks in New York, in addition to other cities.

The collaboration will showcase a new artist every 8–12 months, though the next artist has yet to be selected. Whitney director Adam Weinberg, curator Chrissie Iles, and High Line Art curator Cecilia Alemani will be responsible for the program, including the selection of artists. Weinberg told Art Review that the project was inspired by a desire to “[reconnect] with the neighborhood where we had deep a historical connection.”

Given that the museum’s new location will be just blocks away from both the High Line and its original home in Greenwich Village, it seems fitting for the institution to begin readjusting to the downtown vibe. And what better way to do that than with public art?