Alice Neel was one of the great American painters of the twentieth century and a pioneer among women artists. A painter of people, landscape and still life, Neel was never fashionable or in step with avant-garde movements. "One of the reasons I painted was to catch life as it goes by," she explained, "right hot off the griddle." This beautifully designed volume takes a unique approach to the exhibition catalog, highlighting Neel's understanding of the fundamentally political nature of how we look at others, and what it means to feel seen. Long a favorite of portrait lovers, Neel has recently gained an even wider 21st-century audience appreciative of the searing candor with which she viewed the world, the depth of her humanity, and her championing of the underdog. This beautifully produced catalog features a thoroughly modern design, as well as an essay by renowned critic Hilton Als and poetry by Daisy Lafarge.
About the AuthorEleanor Nairne is Curator at Barbican Art Gallery, London. She is a contributor to the London Review of Books, has written for magazines including frieze and is a previous Jerwood Writer in Residence. Her previous books with Prestel include
Jean Dubuffet and
Basquiat: Boom for Real! She live in London, England.
Book InformationISBN 9783791379661
Author Eleanor NairneFormat Hardback
Page Count 152
Imprint PrestelPublisher Prestel
Weight(grams) 454g
Dimensions(mm) 227mm * 157mm * 18mm