Alice Neel
May 17 - May 22, 2008
Andrew Neel, USA, 2007, 35mm, 82 minutes
Sponsored by Artist trust
Portrait painter Alice Neel (1900-1984) beautifully, and often hauntingly, captured the image and spirit of each of her hundreds of subjects over six decades. When the theatrics of Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art consumed the art world, Neel's figurative humanism was so unfashionable that she lived on welfare and was marginalized until the 1970s, when the counterculture embraced her and major museums began showing her work. Her grandson, filmmaker Andrew Neel, directs this unique documentary portrait of the artist that both celebrates her determination and explores the effects of her choices and sacrifices. The film traces Alice Neel’s tumultuous biography, as well as delving into the conflicts that her children (the filmmaker’s father, uncle and aunt) still struggle with. By turns fascinating, uncomfortable and inspirational, ALICE NEEL is a thought provoking, personal journey.
www.aliceneelfilm.com
"The fascinating documentary Alice Neel illuminates history while also demonstrating how an artist’s style reveals his or her personality." - New York Times