Alice Neel - People Come First

This book explores Alice Neel's paintings as a champion of civil rights, showcasing her humanist politics and capturing the humanity, strength, and vulnerability of her subjects. It includes remarkable portraits of victims of the Great Depression, fellow residents of Spanish Harlem, leaders of political organizations, queer artists, visibly pregnant women, and members of New York's global diaspora. Essays address her portrayal of LGBTQ subjects, her unique aesthetic language, and her commitment to progressive politics, civil rights, feminism, and racial diversity.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 02 March 2021
Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Alice Neel, a renowned artist, is celebrated for her unwavering support of civil rights in her works. Through her paintings, she effectively conveys her humanist politics, capturing the essence of humanity, strength, and vulnerability of her subjects. This comprehensive book delves into the vast body of Neel's artistic career, spanning nearly 70 years. It explores her radical humanism, a philosophy that regarded human beings as dignified and of eternal importance.

The portraits featured in this publication showcase a diverse range of individuals, including victims of the Great Depression, fellow residents of Spanish Harlem, political leaders, queer artists, visibly pregnant women, and members of New York's global diaspora. Neel's artwork reveals her belief in humanism as a political and philosophical ideal, emphasizing the dignity and significance of every individual.

In addition to her renowned portraits, the book highlights over 100 works, including emotionally charged cityscapes, still lifes, erotic pastels, and watercolors. Essays delve into various aspects of Neel's art, such as her portrayal of LGBTQ subjects, her unique aesthetic language that merged abstraction and figuration, and her unwavering commitment to progressive politics, civil rights, feminism, and racial diversity.

The authors also explore Neel's personal preoccupations with death, illness, and motherhood, while reasserting her place in the broader cultural history of the 20th century. This publication, produced by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in collaboration with Yale University Press, offers a captivating glimpse into the life and work of Alice Neel, a trailblazing artist who left an indelible mark on the art world.

Alice Neel's paintings will be on display at prestigious museums worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Guggenheim in Bilbao, and the de Young Museum in San Francisco. These exhibitions provide an opportunity for art enthusiasts to appreciate the profound impact of Neel's art and her commitment to social justice.

Weight: 1444g
Dimension: 212 x 301 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781588397256