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.
$12,400Sale Price|20% Off
The Youth (John Cheim), Alice Neel
By Alice Neel
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Alice Neel (1900-1984) Title: The Youth (John Cheim) Year: 1982 Medium: Lithograph on Arches paper Edition: 20/25 A.P. Size: 38 x 24 inches Condition: Good Inscription: Signe...
Lithograph
$11,600Sale Price|20% Off
The Family, Alice Neel
By Alice Neel
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Alice Neel (1900-1984) Title: The Family Year: 1982 Medium: Lithograph on Arches paper Edition: 57/175, plus proofs Size: 31.25 x 27 inches Condition: Excellent Inscription: ...
Lithograph
$11,600Sale Price|20% Off
Jar from Samarkland, Alice Neel
By Alice Neel
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Alice Neel (1900-1984) Title: Jar from Samarkland Year: 1982 Medium: Lithograph on Arches paper Edition: A.P. 24/25; 175, plus proofs Size: 38 x 28 inches Condition: Good Ins...
Lithograph
$4,800Sale Price|20% Off
Man with Pipe (John Rothschild), Alice Neel
By Alice Neel
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Alice Neel (1900-1984) Title: Man with Pipe (John Rothschild) Year: 1979 Medium: Lithograph on Arches paper Edition: XXXVIII/L; 150 Arabic Numerals, 50 Roman Numerals, plus p...
Lithograph
$4,750
PORTRAIT OF JOHN ROTHSCHILD Signed Lithograph Seated Man with Pipe, Sailor Shirt
By Alice Neel
Located in Union City, NJ
PORTRAIT OF JOHN ROTHSCHILD is an original hand drawn, limited edition lithograph by the American woman painter Alice Neel printed on archival Arches paper, 100% acid free, using tra...
Lithograph
$6,650Sale Price|30% Off
Alice Neel MAN IN HARNESS Lithograph, Signed Edition
By Alice Neel
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Artist/Designer; Manufacturer: Alice Neel (1900-1984) Marking(s); notes: signed; ed. 23/100; 1980 Country of origin; materials: American; lithograph Dimensions (H, W, D): 36.25"h, 27...
Lithograph
Table of Summer Fruits - Original Lithograph
Located in Paris, IDF
Moise KISLING Table of Summer Fruits Original Lithograph On Arches vellum 28 x 38 cm (c. 11 x 15 inches) Very good condition
Lithograph
TOUCHDOWN - ZONK (MIAMI DOLPHINS)
Located in Aventura, FL
Offset lithograph in colors on paper. Hand signed and numbered by the artist. From the edition of 500. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of authenticity included. All reasonable offers will be considered. Please note our gallery has more than 1 of this artwork in stock and the exact edition number you may receive may be different than pictured. About the artist: Born in Tampa, Florida on December 8, 1927 with deep ancestral roots in Spain. Ferdie Pacheco...
Paper, Lithograph
FIVE MUSICIANS (JUDAICA ART)
By Amram Ebgi
Located in Aventura, FL
Embossed lithograph with foil stamping on paper. Hand signed and numbered by the artist. From the edition of 750. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of authenticity in...
Foil
"Woman Walks into Bar" 53/450
By Sue Coe
Located in Houston, TX
Known for addressing difficult issues, this lithograph by Sue Coe tackles the difficult subject of rape culture. It is numbered in the lower left corner and signed and dated in the l...
Lithograph
$572Sale Price|40% Off
H 32.49 in W 23.43 in
French Vintage Exhibition Poster for Yves Brayer (1969) - Galerie de Paris
By Yves Brayer
Located in London, GB
French Vintage Exhibition Poster for Yves Brayer (1969). Newly framed, the poster announces an exhibition of the works of Yves Brayer at the Galerie de Paris which, at that time, was...
Lithograph
$450
H 12.6 in W 10.24 in
Ballerine sur fond vert, 1995, original lithograph by Jean Jansem, handsigned
By Jean Jansem
Located in Les Acacias GE, GE
Jean Jansem (1920-2013) Ballerine sur fond vert, 1995 Lithographie sur papier Arches, justifiée et numérotée 48/100 Signée en bas à droite 22 x 17 cm / 32 x 26 cm Bibliographie: ...
Lithograph
$1,800
H 30.5 in W 27 in
JUMPIN' & JIVIN' Signed Lithograph, Jazz Club, Band Musicians, Color Collage
By James Denmark
Located in Union City, NJ
JUMPIN & JIVIN' is an original hand drawn, limited edition lithograph(not a photo reproduction or digital print) by the American artist James Denmark printed on archival Somerset...
Lithograph
THE WARRIOR
Located in Aventura, FL
Offset lithograph in colors on paper. Artist signature signed in the plate. Hand numbered in pencil. From the edition of 500. Published by Images International Hawaii. Printed by Tree Lautrec...
Paper, Lithograph
$598
H 27 in W 35.5 in
CHINESE RHODODENDRONS Hand Drawn Lithograph, Watercolor Floral, Pastel Colors
By Glenny Brazy
Located in Union City, NJ
CHINESE RHODODENDRONS is an original hand drawn lithograph printed using hand lithography techniques on archival Arches paper 100% acid free. Lovely watercolor floral...
Lithograph
Mujere
By Raul Soldi
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork "Mujere" c.1960 is an original color silkscreen by noted Argentinian artist Raul Soldi, 1905-1994. It is hand signed and numbered 12/15 P.A in pencil by the artist. The image size is 22.75 x 17 inches, sheet size is 26.65 x 21.5 inches. It is in very good condition, colors are fresh and bright. About the artist: Raúl Soldi was born in Buenos Aire in 1905. He was an argentine plastic artist of recognized international experience. In 1920 he began drawing and painting. He makes reproductions of Quinquela Martín...
Screen
$460
H 33 in W 24 in
Plum Blossoms 1948, 1971, rare offset lithograph poster published in Switzerland
By Henri Matisse
Located in New York, NY
After Henri Matisse Plum Blossoms, 1948, 1971 Offet lithograph poster Offset lithograph poster Published in Zurich Switzerland on the occasion of the exhibition "Twenty Important Pai...
Lithograph, Offset
$450
H 12.6 in W 10.24 in
Deux danseuses, 1995, original lithograph by Jean Jansem, handsigned, numbered
By Jean Jansem
Located in Les Acacias GE, GE
Jean Jansem (1920-2013) Deux danseuses, 1995 Lithographie sur papier Arches, justifiée et numérotée EA Signée en bas à droite 22 x 17 cm / 32 x 26 cm Bibliographie: Catalogue raiso...
Lithograph
Sold
H 16 in W 13 in
"Alice by Alice" Alice Neel, Introspective Self-Portrait, Female Artist
By Alice Neel
Located in New York, NY
Alice Neel Alice by Alice (Self-portrait), circa 1932 Signed, dated and titled lower left Graphite on paper 11 7/8 x 7 7/8 inches Provenance The artist Estate of the artist Robert Miller Gallery, New York Private Collection, New York, late 1980s Private Collection, by descent Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York Exhibited New York, Robert Miller Gallery, Alice Neel, March 16 - May 18, 1986, n.p., illustrated. Roslyn Harbor, New York, Nassau County Museum of Art, Alice Neel: Paintings and Drawings, March 16 - May 18, 1986. Washington, D.C., National Museum of Women in the Arts, Alice Neel’s Women, October 28, 2005 - January 15, 2006. Literature Robert Miller Gallery, "Alice Neel Drawings and Watercolors," 1985, p. 15, illustrated. Roberta Smith, "Alice Neel Show," The New York Times, December 19, 1986, Section C, p. 22. Carolyn Kinder...
Paper, Graphite
Sold
H 27.56 in W 21.26 in
Portrait of John Rothschild (Man with pipe), Limited Edition by Alice Neel
By Alice Neel
Located in Hong Kong, HK
Portrait of John Rothschild (Man with pipe) from the American Portfolio. Lithograph on paper. Signed in pencil lower right and numbered 61/150, Printed by Joseph Kleinman Fine A...
Lithograph
The Youth (John Cheim), Alice Neel
By Alice Neel
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Alice Neel (1900-1984) Title: The Youth (John Cheim) Year: 1982 Medium: Lithograph on Arches paper Edition: 20/25 A.P. Size: 38 x 24 inches Condition: Good Inscription: Signe...
Lithograph
The Youth (John Cheim), Alice Neel
By Alice Neel
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Alice Neel (1900-1984) Title: The Youth (John Cheim) Year: 1982 Medium: Lithograph on Arches paper Edition: 20/25 A.P. Size: 38 x 24 inches Condition: Excellent Inscription: ...
Lithograph
Still Life
By Alice Neel
Located in Milford, NH
A fine colorful limited edition printer’s proof lithograph by well known American artist Alice Neel (1900-1984). Neel was born in Marion Square, Pennsylvania, studied at the Philadel...
Paper, Lithograph
Sold
H 28.5 in W 21.5 in
PORTRAIT OF JOHN ROTHSCHILD Signed Lithograph, Expressionist Portrait Man w Pipe
By Alice Neel
Located in Union City, NJ
PORTRAIT OF JOHN ROTHSCHILD is an original hand drawn, limited edition lithograph by the American woman painter Alice Neel printed on archival Arches paper, 100% acid free, using tra...
Lithograph
Man in a Harness
By Alice Neel
Located in New York, NY
A very good impression of this color lithograph on Arches. Signed, dated and numbered 88/100 in pencil by Neel. Published by Eleanor Ettinger, Inc., New York, with the blind stamp lo...
Color, Lithograph
Light, Limited Edition Lithograph, Alice Neel - LARGE
By Alice Neel
Located in Southampton, NY
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, ...
Lithograph
Mother and Child, Alice Neel
By Alice Neel
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Alice Neel (1900-1984) Title: Mother and Child Year: 1982 Medium: Lithograph on Arches paper Edition: 175, plus proofs Size: 31.25 x 27 inches Condition: Excellent Inscriptio...
Lithograph
Light, Limited Edition Lithograph, Alice Neel - LARGE
By Alice Neel
Located in Southampton, NY
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, ...
Lithograph
Light, Alice Neel
By Alice Neel
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Alice Neel (1900-1984) Title: Light Year: 1982 Medium: Lithograph on Arches paper Edition: 175, plus proofs Size: 38 x 27 inches Condition: Excellent Inscription: Signed and ...
Lithograph
Jar from Samarkland
By Alice Neel
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Alice Neel (1900-1984) Title: Jar from Samarkland Year: 1982 Medium: Lithograph on Arches paper Edition: 175, plus proofs Size: 38 x 28 inches Condition: Excellent Inscriptio...
Lithograph