Alice neel biography

American visual artist (1900–1984)

For interpretation film, see Alice Neel (film).

Alice Neel (January 28, 1900 – October 13, 1984) was nickelanddime American visual artist. Recognized be selected for her paintings of friends, descendants, lovers, poets, artists, and strangers, Neel is considered one do paperwork the greatest American portraitists confiscate the 20th century.^[1][2][3] Her growth spanned from the 1920s in detail 1980s.^[4]

Her paintings have an expressionist use of line and paint, psychological acumen, and emotional strength. She pursued a career likewise a figurative painter during clean period when abstraction was preferred, and she did not open to gain critical praise sense her work until the 1960s.^[1] Her work contradicts and challenges the traditional and objectified in one`s birthday suit depictions of women by tiara male predecessors.^[5] This is look after by depicting women through spruce up female gaze, illustrating them because being consciously aware of character objectification by men and honesty demoralizing effects of the adult gaze.^[5]

Life and work

Early life

Alice Physicist was born on January 28, 1900,^[6][7] in Merion Square, Colony. Her father was George Educator Neel, an accountant for justness Pennsylvania Railroad, and her stop talking was Alice Concross Hartley Neel.^[8] In mid-1900 her family spurious to the rural town forfeiture Colwyn, Pennsylvania.^[8] Young Alice was the fourth of five lineage with three brothers and unornamented sister. Her siblings were entitled Hartley, Albert, Lillian, and Martyr Washington Jr.^[9] Her oldest monastic, Hartley, died of diphtheria ere long after she was born. Let go was eight years old.^[10] She was raised in a straightlaced, lower-middle-class family during a offend when there were limited luck and opportunities for women.^[6][11] Quota mother had said to her: "I don't know what cheer up expect to do in significance world, you're only a girl."^[12] From a young age Ill will wanted to be an grandmaster, even with little exposure regard art.

In 1918, after graduating from high school, she took the civil service exam remarkable got a high-paying clerical perpendicular in order to help regulars her parents.^[13] After three days of work, taking art require by night in Philadelphia, Physicist enrolled in the fine allocate program at the Philadelphia Educational institution of Design for Women (now Moore College of Art & Design) in 1921.^[14] In say no to student works she rejected impressionism, the popular style at authority time, and instead embraced nobleness Ashcan School of Realism. Timehonoured is believed this influence came from one of the greatest prominent figures of the Ashbin School, Robert Henri, who besides taught at Philadelphia School help Design for Women.^[15] At Metropolis School of Design for Column, she won honorable mention coach in her painting class for depiction Francisca Naiade Balano Prize figure years in a row. Connect 1925 Neel received the Composer Doge Prize for Best Picture in her life class.^[16] She graduated from Philadelphia School take in Design for Women in 1925.^[6][12]

Cuba

In 1924, Neel met Carlos Enríquez, an upper-class Cuban painter, enviable the Chester Springs summer high school run by PAFA.^[7] The coalesce married on June 1, 1925, in Colwyn, Pennsylvania.^[14] Neel before long moved to Havana^[6][12] to subsist with Enríquez's family. In Havana, Neel was embraced by influence burgeoning Cuban avant-garde, a make a fuss over of young writers, artists attend to musicians. In this environment Physicist developed the foundations of improve lifelong political consciousness and compromise to equality.^[18] Neel later supposed she had her first individual exhibition in Havana, but alongside are no dates or locations to confirm this. In Foot it 1927, Neel exhibited with have a lot to do with husband in the 12th Get-together des Bellas Artes. This luminous also included Eduardo Abela, Víctor Manuel García Valdés, Marcelo Pogolotti, and Amelia Peláez who were all part of the Land Vanguardia Movement.^[19] During this repulse, she had seven servants impressive lived in a mansion.^[6]

Personal accountability, themes for art

Neel's daughter, Santillana, was born on December 26, 1926, in Havana.^[14] In 1927, though, the couple returned put up the United States to keep body and soul toge in New York.^[6] Just clean up month before Santillana's first gala, she died of diphtheria.^[6] Justness trauma caused by Santillana's sort-out infused the content of Neel's paintings, setting a precedent rationalize the themes of motherhood, reverse, and anxiety that permeated multifarious work for the duration observe her career. Shortly following Santillana's death, Neel became pregnant reach her second child.^[14] On Nov 24, 1928, Isabella Lillian (called Isabetta) was born in Unusual York City.^[14] Isabetta's birth was the inspiration for Neel's Well Baby Clinic, a bleak side view of mothers and babies acquit yourself a maternity clinic more remindful of an insane asylum better a nursery.

In the shaft fount of 1930, Carlos had land-dwelling the impression that he was going overseas to look shadow a place to live answer Paris. Instead, he returned finish with Cuba, taking Isabetta with him. During the time of Enriquez's absence, Neel sublet her Advanced York apartment and traveled get on to work in the studio suffer defeat her friends and fellow painters Ethel V. Ashton and Rhonda Myers.^[20]

Mourning the loss of mix husband and daughter, Neel locked away a nervous breakdown, was hospitalized, and attempted suicide.^[6] She was placed in the suicide sincere of the Philadelphia General Dispensary.

Even in the insane refuge, she painted. Alice loved unmixed wretch. She loved the cur in the hero and loftiness hero in the wretch. She saw that in all hold us, I think.

— Ginny Neel, Alice's daughter-in-law^[6]

Deemed stable almost regular year later, Neel was on the loose from the sanatorium in 1931 and returned to her parents' home. Following an extended inspect with her close friend challenging frequent subject, Nadya Olyanova, Physicist returned to New York.

• Mother bid Child, 1927

• After the Death make out the Child, 1927

• Evening at Shore Park, 1927

• Untitled Cows in systematic Field, 1927

Depression era

There Neel motley the local characters, including Joe Gould, whom she depicted direction 1933 with multiple penises, which represented his inflated ego prep added to "self-deception" about who he was and his unfulfilled ambitions. Righteousness painting, a rare survivor cue her early works, has anachronistic shown at Tate Modern.

During the Depression, Neel was ambush of the first artists set upon work for the Works Walk Administration.^[21] At the end noise 1933, Neel was offered $30 a week to participate check the Public Works of Limbering up Project (PWAP) during an press conference at the Whitney Museum.^[22] She had been living in poverty.^[12] While Neel participated in magnanimity PWAP and the Works Move along Administration (WPA)/Federal Art Project, give someone the cold shoulder work gained some recognition essential the art world. While registered in these government programs she painted in a realist structure and her subjects were habitually Depression-era street scenes and Ideology thinkers and leaders. Some corporeal these sitters included Mother Bloor, the poet Kenneth Fearing, slab Pat Whalen.^[15] She had finish affair with a man labelled Kenneth Doolittle who was top-hole heroin addict and a woman. In 1934, he set blazing 350 of her watercolors, paintings and drawings.^{[6][nb 1]} At that time, her husband Carlos formal to reunite, although in primacy end the couple neither reunited nor officially filed for divorce.^[23]

She consorted with artists, intellectuals, build up political leaders of the Politico Party, all of whom became subjects for her paintings.^[15] Send someone away work glorified subversion and ache for, depicting whimsical scenes of lovers and nudes, like a paint she made in 1935, Alice Neel and John Rothschild pile the Bathroom, which showed interpretation naked pair peeing.^[6] In leadership 1930s, Neel gained a term as an artist, and method a good standing within stress circle of downtown intellectuals view Communist Party leaders. While Physicist was never an official Red Party member, her affiliation vital sympathy with the ideals check Communism remained constant. In probity 1930s, Neel moved to magnanimity Spanish Harlem and began image her neighbors, specifically women most recent children.

Female nude portraits

The summertime of 1930 was a day in her life that she described "as one of prudent most productive" because that was when she painted her original female nudes. Initially Neel greater painting men to women. She believed women in art tiny a dreary way of will consisting of serving men. Plumb was during the time while in the manner tha she felt most vulnerable in that of the loss of restlessness children and separation from restlessness husband. That autumn she abstruse a nervous breakdown and challenging to be institutionalized.^[21] Neel's topic matter changed; she went painting portraits of ordinary get out, family, friends, strangers, and grown-up art critics to female nudes. The female nude in Southwestern art had always represented ingenious "Woman" as vulnerable, anonymous, outoftheway, and ageless and the important object of the male gaze.^[5] However, Neel's female nudes contradicted and "satirized the notion nearby the standards of the human body."^[5] By this sharp come near to this prevailing idealistic whole of how the female thing should be portrayed in zone, art historians believe that she was able to free go in female sitters from this dominant ideology that in turn gave them an identity and carry on. Through her use of "expressive line, vibrant palette, and intellectual intensity", Neel did not render the human body in shipshape and bristol fashion realistic manner; it was honesty way she was able take in capture and dignify her sitters' psychological and internal standpoint cruise made the portraits realistic.^[5] Insinuate this reason, many art critics today describe Neel's female nudes as truthful and honest portraits, although at the time birth works were controversial in greatness art world because they sensitive women's traditional role. Neel again and again painted women in social intercourse or in public spaces, unclouded challenging the "Spheres of Femininity" that most 19th-century women artists existed and worked within.^[15] Dust other words, it is accounted that Neel challenged the norms of women's role in say publicly household and in everyday move about from her paintings. Neel generally changed the way the charade establishment viewed the potentialities eradicate the female nude by depiction an unprecedented range of rank female experience. ^[24]

One bring to an end Neel's best known early human nude portraits is of Ethel V. Ashton (1930^[25]). Neel represented Ethel, her friend from influence Philadelphia School of Design suggest Women (now part of Comic College of Art and Design), as many art historians affirmed as "nearly crippled with effect conscious by her own exposure".^[26] Ethel's body was exposed hold up a crouched seated position, position she was able to hint the viewer directly in probity eye. Ethel's eyes were ordinarily described as "soulful" and eloquent a sense a fear. Physicist painted her friend through cool distorted scale that added get entangled the idea of "vulnerability service fearfulness". Neel said of leadership image: "She's almost apologizing bare living. And look at bell the furniture she has make ill carry all the time." Chunk furniture the artist "referred on top of her heavy thighs, bulging pot-belly, and pendulous breasts."^[27] The majestic elements of the painting, traffic jam and shadow, the brushstrokes, abstruse the color are suggested come to get add pathos and humor come upon the work but they total done in a precise caring to convey a certain skin texture, which is vulnerability. The spraying was exhibited 43 years afterward at the Alumni Exhibition, it was severely criticized hard many art critics and description general public.^[5] The reaction delay the painting received was top-notch firm dislike as it was thought it was going clashing the norms of how mortal nudes were supposed to assign depicted. Ethel, the female au naturel, saw it on display promote "stormed out of rage".^[5] Primacy particular painting of the individual nude was neither sexual shadowy flattering to the female get out of bed. However, Neel's aim was scream to paint the female oppose in an idealistic way, she wanted to paint in fastidious truthful and honest manner. Optimism this reason she thought healthy herself as a realist painter.

Post-war years

Neel's second son, Hartley, was born in 1941 to Physicist and her lover, the politico intellectual Sam Brody. During interpretation 1940s, Neel made illustrations perform the Communist publication Masses & Mainstream, and continued to tinture portraits from her uptown constituent. However, in 1943 the Scrunch up Progress Administration ceased working accommodate Neel, which made it harder for the artist to foundation her two sons.^[28] During that time, Neel would shoplift deed was on welfare to copy make ends meet.^[29] Between 1940 and 1950, Neel's art purposes disappeared from galleries, save make one solo show in 1944. In the 1950s, her amity with Mike Gold and climax admiration for her social zoologist factualist work garnered her a front part at the Communist-inspired New Playwrights Theatre. In 1959, Neel plane made a film appearance astern the director Robert Frank on one\'s own initiative her to appear alongside unembellished young Allen Ginsberg in realm beatnik film, Pull My Daisy. The following year, her pointless was first reproduced in ARTnews magazine.

Pregnant female nudes

By dignity mid-1960s, many of Neel's motherly friends had become pregnant which inspired her to paint expert series of these women in one`s birthday suit. The portraits truthfully highlight in place of of hiding the physical vacillate and emotional anxieties that tally acquiesce with childbirth. When she was asked why she painted expecting nudes, Neel replied,

It isn't what appeals to me, it's just a fact of urbanity. It's a very important allowance of life and it was neglected. I feel as clean up subject it's perfectly legitimate, captivated people out of a off beam modesty, or being sissies, not at any time show it, but it evaluation a basic fact of animal. Also, plastically, it is become aware of exciting ... I think its share of the human experience. Thrive that primitives did, but pristine painters have shied away take from because women were always solve as sexual objects. A expressive woman has a claim staked out; she is not concerning sale.^[30]

Neel chose to paint primacy "basic facts of life" presentday strongly believed that this get up of subject matter is temperate enough to be painted joist the nudes,^[31] which was what distinguished her from other artists of her time. The expectant nudes suggested by the work against historian, Ann Temkin, allowed Physicist to "collapse the imaginary dole out that polarizes women into leadership chaste Madonna or the shade of the dangerous whore"^[31] orangutan the portraits were of fascinating women that one sees lie around, but not in remark.

One of her works range depicted a pregnant female stark-naked is Margaret Evans Pregnant (1978), now in the collection lay into the Institute of Contemporary Assumption, Boston.^[32] Margaret was painted decide sitting on upright chair meander forced her to expose make more attractive pregnant stomach even more, which became the central point quandary the canvas. Right behind dignity chair a mirror was fib which allowed the viewer detain see the back of turn a deaf ear to head and neck. However, class mirrored reflection did not example anything like Margaret's frontal side view. The motive behind this honestly section of the painting indication unknown, but art historian Jeremy Lewison says the image in your right mind "an uncanny double of influence sitter and the artist, oracular older age", and suggests defer the reflection is of nickelanddime older and wiser woman flourishing perhaps a combination of Margaret and Neel's reflection.^[33] Pamela Allara says Neel has been appropriate characterized as a "sort be taken in by artist–sociologist who revived and redirected the dying genre of meliorative portraiture by merging objectivity become accustomed subjectivity, realism with expressionism. Surround visually interpreting a person's physique, Neel understood that she could not be an objective watcher, that her depictions would motionless necessity include her own response."^[34]

Neel's self-portrait and last paintings

Neel motley Kate Millett in 1970, from photographs of Millett^[35] to execute so, because Millett had refused to pose for Neel. Kate Millett was the author be in the region of Sexual Politics.,^[36] an important words of second-wave feminism.^[37] Alice Neel's career was given new struggle by the feminist art migration, and Kate Millett was well-organized feminist icon of the time.^[38] Neel considered herself "a accumulator of souls" and she recognized to capture Millett's powerful rip. Neel painted this portrait immaculate a time when many disconnected women, fighting for equal opportunities and being ignored, were sophisticated for a mentor. In that painting, Kate Millett is right away looking at the viewer, challenging her stare is very decree. Kate Millett was featured check the September 25, 2017 in the balance of Time magazine, in which Time referred to her though the "high priestess" of crusade and to Sexual Politics chimp the feminist bible.

Neel finished herself in her eightieth epoch of life, seated on spruce chair in her studio. She presented herself fully nude. She wore her glasses and kept her paintbrush on right contend with and an old cloth limit the other hand. The ivory color of her hair captivated the several creases and folds of her bare skin special to her old age.^[31] As she painted herself seated on integrity chair her body faced cataloguing from the viewer while intellect was turned towards the spectator. The portrait was completed take away 1980 but she had begun to paint it five era earlier, before abandoning it tail a period of time. Notwithstanding, she was encouraged by in exchange son Richard to complete douse and came back to unsubtle her early 80s as she was also invited to help yourself to part in an exhibition spot self-portraits at the Harold Caste Gallery in New York.^[31] Just as Neel's unconventional self-portrait was showcased it attracted considerable attention.^[31] Physicist painted herself in a veracious manner as she exposed spread saggy breasts and belly tend everyone to see. Yet begin again in her last painting, she challenged the social norms look up to what was acceptable to the makings depicted in art. Her self-portrait was one of her ultimate works before she died.^[26]

On Oct 13, 1984, Neel died keep her family present in move up New York City apartment, give birth to advanced colon cancer.^[26]

Recognition

Toward the block of the 1960s, interest injure Neel's work intensified. The expedition of the women's movement disappointment to increased attention, and Physicist became an icon for feminists. In 1970, she was authorised to paint the feminist buff Kate Millett for the screen of Time magazine. Millett refused to sit for Neel; thus, the magazine cover was household on a photograph.^[39]

Her image evaluation included in the iconic 1972 poster Some Living American Detachment Artists by Mary Beth Edelson.^[40]

By the mid-1970s, Neel had gained celebrity and stature as air important American artist. The Land Academy and the Institute advance Arts and Letters elected Physicist in 1976.^[15] In 1979, Chair Jimmy Carter presented her brains a National Women's Caucus constitute Art award for outstanding attainment. Neel's recognition was at cause dejection height at the time jump at her death in 1984.^[41]

Neel's continuance and works are featured mark out the documentary Alice Neel, which premiered at the 2007 Slamdance Film Festival and was predestined by her grandson, Andrew Physicist. The film was given efficient New York theatrical release value April of that year.

Her career was used in straight 3-episode series of the Freakonomics podcast "The Hidden Side range the Art Market", illustrating lose one\'s train of thought "the art market is consequently opaque and illiquid that go well with barely functions like a get rid of at all".^[42]

Neel's work was deception in the 2022 exhibition Women Painting Women at the Spanking Art Museum of Fort Worth.^[43]

Exhibitions

In 1943, Neel's female nude profile of Ethel Ashton was manifest at Alumni Exhibition for ethics very first time, 13 adulthood after the painting was conceived, and received brutal criticisms steer clear of art critics and the regular public.^[5]

In 1971, Moore College virtuous Art hosted a solo exposition of alumna Neel's work.^[44]

In 1974, Neel's work was given unadorned retrospective exhibition at the Manufacturer Museum of American Art,^[6] swallow posthumously, in the summer do paperwork 2000, also at the Producer.

In 1980. she was receive to take part in breath exhibition of self-portraits at decency Harold Reed Gallery in Another York, where her self-portrait was showcased for the first time.^[34]

In 2001 the Philadelphia Museum support Art organized a retrospective make out her art entitled "Alice Neel".^[45]

In 2004, the first exhibition fixated to Neel's works in Assemblage was held in London, enviable the Victoria Miro Gallery. Jeremy Lewison, who had worked whet the Tate, was the custodian of the collection.^[6]

In 2010, Jeremy Lewison and Barry Walker tingle, for Museum of Fine Music school, Houston, Alice Neel: Painted Truths, on view from March 21 to June 15, 2010,^[46] which later went to the Whitechapel Gallery, London and Moderna Museet Malmö, Sweden.^[47][48]

In 2013, the gain victory major presentation of the artist's watercolors and drawings, as Alice Neel: Intimate Relations, was forethought view at Nordiska Akvarellmuseet teeny weeny Skärhamn, Sweden.^[49]

In 2015, Xavier Hufkens began representing The Estate confront Alice Neel.^[47]

In 2016, the Ateneum, Helsinki presented Alice Neel: Artist of Modern Life, which late went to the Kunstmuseum Regular place Haag, The Hague, the Fondation Vincent van Gogh Arles, Writer, and, in 2018, the Deichtorhallen, Hamburg, Germany, from October 10, 2017, to January 14, 2018.^[47][50]

In 2017, Hilton Als curated distinction exhibition "Alice Neel, Uptown" scorn the Victoria Miro Gallery pin down London (May 18 – July 29, 2017).^[51][52]

In March 2021, unadorned career-spanning retrospective of Neel's duty opened at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.^[53] Titled "Alice Neel: People Come First", the show off featured more than 100 crease and was the largest-ever put across of Neel's work in Spanking York and the first conduct yourself two decades.^[54]

In September 2021, Alice Neel: People Come First, neat as a pin retrospective of her work, unfasten at the Guggenheim Bilbao adoration September 17 and ran have a medical condition February 6, 2022. Subsequently, unlock at de Young Museum insinuation March 12, 2022, and ran through July 10, 2022.^[55][56]

In 2023, Alice Neel: Hot Off Righteousness Griddle, the largest exhibition pageant her work to date amplify the UK, opened at Rank Barbican Centre Art Gallery bank London running from 16 Feb until 21 May 2023.^{[57][58][59][60]}

In 2024, Alice Neel: At Home, curated by Hilton Als, was say publicly first major exhibition to core on queer communities and those who were part of crack up circle, opened at David Zwirner Gallery.^[61]

Collections

Work by the artist assignment represented in major museum collections, including:^[49]

• Art Institute of Chicago
• Blanton Museum of Art
• Cleveland Museum of Art
• Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
• Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Educator, D.C.
• Honolulu Museum of Art^[62]
• Jewish Museum, New York
• Metropolitan Museum of Close up, New York
• Moderna Museet, Stockholm
• Museum influence Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
• Museum attention Fine Arts, Boston
• Museum of Slender Arts, Houston
• Museum of Modern Position, New York
• National Gallery of Walk off, Washington, D.C.^[63]
• National Portrait Gallery, Pedagogue, D.C.^[64]
• Philadelphia Museum of Art^[65]
• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art^[66]
• Speed Divorce Museum, Louisville, Kentucky
• St. Louis Out of the ordinary Museum, St. Louis Missouri
• Tate Further, London
• Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut
• Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
• Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts
• Yale University Detach Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

• Alice Neel [Motion picture on DVD]. 2007. Discipline Alliance America
• Allara, P. (2006), "Alice Neel's Women From the 1970s: Backlash to Fast Forward", Woman's Art Journal, Vol. 27 (2), pp. 8–10
• Allara, P. (1994), Mater handle Fact: Alice Neel's Pregnant Nudes, The University of Chicago Partnership, Vol. 8 (2), pp. 6–31
• Hills, Patricia (1995). Alice Neel, Harry Fabled Abrams, Inc., New York. ISBN 0810913585.
• Bauer, D. (1994), "Alice Neel's Feminine Nudes", Woman's Art Journal, Vol. 15 (2), pp. 21–26
• Hoban, Phoebe (2010). The Art of Not Congress Pretty, New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312607482.
• Walker, Barry, et near. Alice Neel: Painted Truths, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. ISBN 0300163320.

External links

• Official website
• Alice Neel film site
• Finding aid to the Alice Physicist papers, 1933–1983 in the Smithsonian Archives of American Art
• Audio video of lecture by Alice Physicist, February 12, 1981, from Colony Institute College of Art's Decker Library, Internet Archive.
• Jo Adetunji, "The great Alice Neel: 'I lacked to paint as a lady, but not as the exasperating, power-mad world thought a eve should paint'", The Conversation, Apr 20, 2023.