From my series on looking at art…. perusing the wonderful “Alice Neel,Uptown” exhibit at David Zwirner Gallery, currently on view through April 22nd. This show focuses in on Neel’s intense emotional portraits, primarily of friends and neighbors, during the years she lived in East Harlem and the far Upper West Side. A nonconformist, who refused to follow the trends of the contemporary gallery scene, Neel’s art was considered out of fashion for most of her life. She passed away in 1984. Today she’s considered one of the great portrait artists of the 20th century.
If you’d like to learn more about Alice Neel’s fascinating life and career, I recommend this documentary film, made by her grandson.
Leave a Reply