Alice Neel

ALICE NEEL (1900-1984) An unshakable original, witnessed a parade of avant-garde movements from Abstract Expressionism to Conceptual Art, and refused to follow any of them. Instead, she developed a unique, expressive style of portrait painting that captured the psychology of individuals living in New York, from friends and neighbors in Spanish Harlem to celebrities. Part of what makes Neel one of the greatest American portraitists of the 20th-century is her refusal of traditional categories (gender, age, race, social status, etc.). Neel's insights into the human condition never wavered, observing each subject with a fresh eye, remaining direct, unflinching and always empathetic. Her portraits of people and places are among the most insightful images in 20th-century American art.