Within the immense spectrum of art tendencies and philosophies, few artists are true pioneers of any given style or movement. One significant identifying marker of an artistic pioneer is the level of influence they have on subsequent generations. This week, we are headed to the metropolitan meccas of New York City and Los Angeles to look at the work of two seminal figures of Contemporary Art, Alex Katz and François Morellet, both of whom have been artistic innovators in their own right.

Alex Katz: Small Paintings 1987–2013 will be on view September 19–November 2, 2013 at Peter Blum, 20 W 57th Street, New York, NY 10019.

Alex Katz, Elizabeth, 2013, oil on board, Peter Blum, New York, NY

After a short summer hiatus, Peter Blume will be re-opening its doors with an exhibition of small paintings by Figurative artist, Alex Katz (American, b.1927). The exhibition brings together 25 works completed between 1987 and the present, all of which served as en plein air studies for a number of compositions that were later rendered in large-scale format. Small Paintings 1987–2013 offers viewers a glimpse into Katz’s aesthetic processes with an assortment of gestural portraits and free-hand studies of nature from the artist’s summer excursions in Maine. Katz’s iconic, stylized faces and florals are absent here; instead of immaculate contour, the viewer is presented with spontaneous brushstrokes and undulating lines, and as a result, the studies shed light on the artist’s collective oeuvre.

François Morellet: NO END NEON will be on view September 19–November 2, 2013 at Kayne Griffin Corcoran, 1201 S La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90019.

François Morellet, Lamentable, 2006, white neon tubes and transformers, Kayne Griffin Corcoran, Los Angeles, CA

In Los Angeles, Kayne Griffin Corcoran will be featuring a diverse selection of works by renowned French artist, François Morellet (French, b.1926) that includes black tape wall works and neon light installations. Morellet’s mathematical approach to the visual components of art has made him an authority on Geometric Abstraction. NO END NEON draws attention to Morellet’s fascination with neon and the ways in which it has become a malleable property in the artist’s efforts to push the boundaries of the traditional canvas. In Lamentable, eight white neon tubes are linked and sprawled erratically from ceiling to ground without a definite beginning or end, making the sculptural piece a repetitive loop of disparate light.

Browse openings by city to see where art can be found in your town!

Berlin, Germany
Robert Lazzarini–jam shot at Dittrich & Schlechtriem
September 19–November 2, 2013
Tucholskystr.38, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Die Wörter in den vier Ecken (Berlin) at Krobath
September 19–November 2, 2013
Marienstraße 10, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Andrea Grosso Ciponte: Portraits at Art Virus Ltd.
September 19–November 1, 2013
Bergesgrundweg 3, 60599 Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Hamburg, Germany
Richard Oelze–Christoph Steinmeyer: Surreale Wege gestern und heute (Hamburg) at Galerie Brockstedt
September 19–December 20, 2013
Mommsenstrasse 59, 10629 Berlin, Germany

Hong Kong, China
Jenny Holzer: Light Stream (Hong Hong) at Pearl Lam Galleries
September 19–November 2, 2013
6/F, Pedder Building, 12 Pedder Street, Central Hong Kong, China

London, UK
Australia: People and Places at Rebecca Hossack Gallery
September 19–October 26, 2013
2a Conray Street, Fitzroy Square, W1T 6BA London, UK

Leon Golub: Mercenaries II and Napalm Gates at Anthony Reynolds Gallery
September 19–October 26, 2013
60 Great Marlborough Street, W1F 7BG London, UK

Munich, Germany
GLAMOUR IS BACK—GROSSE MOMENTE AUS DEM TRUNK ARCHIVE (LUMAS München) at LUMAS–PHOTO.ART.EDITIONS.
September 19–October 20, 2013
Brienner Straße 3, 80333 Munich, Germany

New York, NY
Robin Lowe: Way of the Sea at Lennon, Weinberg, Inc.
September 19–November 2, 2013
514 W 25th Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10001

THE MAIDEN CREEK SERIES: New Watercolor Drawings by Matthew Daub at ACA Galleries, est. 1932
September 19–October 19, 2013
529 W 20th Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10011

The Dog Must Howl: New Large Scale Photographs by David Mitchell at Jim Kempner Fine Art
September 19–November 2, 2013
501 W 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011

Nurnberg, Germany
Sissi Edler at Galerie VON & VON
September 19–November 19, 2013
Lorenzerstrasse 31, 90402 Nurberg, Germany

Paris, FX
Ayana V. Jackson ‘archival impulse & poverty pornography’ at Baudoin Lebon
September 19–November 2, 2013
8 rue Charles-François Dupuis 75003 Paris, France

Vancouver, Canada
Dana Claxton: Indian Candy at Winsor Gallery
September 19–November 2, 2013
258 East 1st Avenue, Vancouver, V5T 1A6 Canada