Alice Neel2021
People Come First
by Kelly Baum
Alice Neel's (1900-1984) uncompromising artistic vision and deep engagement with humanity in both art and politics have earned her legions of admirers. This beautifully designed and illustrated book surveys the artist's nearly 70-year career, focusing on her long residency in New York, a place that provided her with lifelong inspiration. In addition to her compelling portraits of individuals of all ages, both famous and unknown, 'Alice Neel: People Come First' also considers her remarkable nudes, still lifes, cityscapes, and erotic pastels and watercolors--all considered through the lens of radical humanism that informed so much of the artist's work. Leading scholars delve into various aspects of Neel's practice, revealing that humanism was both a political and philosophical ideal for the...