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Alice Neel Art

American, 1900-1984

As one of the 20th century’s most influential American artists, Alice Neel was a champion of social justice, which served as a lifelong inspiration for her portraits and figurative paintings.

Born in 1900 in Merion Square, Pennsylvania, Neel grew up in a strict middle-class family that did not support her artistic ambitions. Undaunted, Neel enrolled in the fine arts program at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women — now the Moore College of Art and Design — where she trained with Ashcan School artist George Harding in 1921. 

In 1924, Neel furthered her art studies for a period at the Chester Springs summer school of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. There, she met her husband, Cuban artist Carlos Enríquez. After they married, they moved to Cuba and had a daughter. When they returned to the United States to live in New York, in 1927, their infant daughter died from diphtheria. By 1930, the couple’s marriage had disintegrated and Neel suffered another blow when Enríquez took their second child to live with him in Cuba. She experienced a nervous breakdown, and her trauma led to an enduring theme of loss, motherhood and anxiety in her paintings.   

Living in Greenwich Village and then uptown, Neel endured additional difficult relationships but immersed herself in her work. She secured a job with the Works Progress Administration, painting urban scenes and portraits of left-wing writers, artists and trade unionists. In 1938, she moved to Spanish Harlem, where she painted stark and honest still-lifes and portraits of friends, family and neighbors. Neel continued to make representational work even as the art world in New York City became enveloped in trendy Abstract Expressionism.

In 1951, Neel had her first solo exhibition showing 17 paintings at the A.C.A. Gallery. That same year, New York’s New Playwrights Theater exhibited 24 of her works, where she was hailed “a pioneer of socialist-realism in American painting.” 

In 1960, Neel moved to the Upper West Side and made portraits of public figures such as poet Frank O’Hara, Andy Warhol and artist Robert Smithson. 

Neel exhibited widely throughout the U.S. during the 1970s and was championed by art critics and feminist activists. She was honored with a retrospective exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in Manhattan. In 1980, her Self-Portrait was shown for the first time in the collection “Selected 20th Century American Self-Portraits” at the Harold Reed Gallery.

Neel’s legacy as a humanist lives on long after her death in 1984. In 2021, the Metropolitan Museum of Art hosted a retrospective exhibition of her work. 

On 1stDibs, discover a range of original Alice Neel paintings and prints.

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Artist: Alice Neel
Dealer: Palm Beach Modern Gallery
Alice Neel PORTRAIT OF A GIRL… Screenprint
By Alice Neel
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Artist/Designer: Alice Neel (American, 1900-1984) Additional Information: Full title of the work is “Portrait of a Girl in Blue Chair.” Marking(s); notes: signed twice (once in pla...
Category

20th Century Contemporary Alice Neel Art

Materials

Screen

Alice Neel MAN IN HARNESS Lithograph, Signed Edition
By Alice Neel
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Additional Information: Provenance: Private Collection, Palm Beach, Florida Marking(s); notes: signed; ed. 23/100; 1980 Country of origin; materials: USA; lithograph Dimensions: 3...
Category

Mid-20th Century Contemporary Alice Neel Art

Materials

Lithograph

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Alice Neel art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Alice Neel art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Alice Neel in lithograph, paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Expressionist style. Not every interior allows for large Alice Neel art, so small editions measuring 22 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Bernard Aptekar, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, and Paul Klee. Alice Neel art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $4,600 and tops out at $44,000, while the average work can sell for $8,500.
Questions About Alice Neel Art
  • 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 21, 2024
    The medium that Alice Neel used was painting. She was one of the 20th century's most influential American artists and a champion of social justice, which served as a lifelong inspiration for her portraits and figurative paintings. In 1938, she moved to Spanish Harlem in New York City, where she painted stark and honest still lifes and portraits of friends, family and neighbors. Neel continued to make representational work even as the art world in Manhattan became enveloped in trendy Abstract Expressionism. After her first solo exhibition in 1951, she was hailed as "a pioneer of socialist-realism in American painting." Explore a selection of Alice Neel art on 1stDibs.

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