Student Artwork Guide
Copyright This work is still under copyright. Alice Neel died in 1984; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it remains in force until 2054. The image is shown here for classroom reference; rights remain with the rights holder.
In context
Untitled (698) — Alice Neel
Shaded: the lifetime of Alice Neel (1900–1984)
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Measured from the image
Main colour
Driftwood #bd9041
Catalogued palette
Artist and museum
Born in Merion Square, United States of America
Born: January 28, 1900, in Merion Square, Pennsylvania
Parents: George Washington Neel (accountant) and Alice Concross Hartley Neel
Family moved to Colwyn, Pennsylvania in early 1900s.
Fourth of five children; experienced the loss of her older brother, Hartley, at a young age.
Raised in a middle-class family with limited expectations for women.
Graduated high school and took a clerical position to support her family.
Studied art classes in Philadelphia by night.
Enrolled in the fine art program at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women (now Moore College of Art & Design) in 1921.
Rejected Impressionism, embracing the Ashcan School of realism, influenced by Robert Henri.
Won honorable mention twice for painting and received the Kern Dodge Prize in 1925.
Graduated from Philadelphia School of Design for Women in 1925.
Married Cuban painter Carlos Enríquez on June 1, 1925.
Moved to Havana, Cuba, where she was embraced by the Cuban avant-garde movement.
Developed her political consciousness and commitment to equality in Havana.
Exhibited with her husband in the XII Salon des Bellas Artes in 1927 alongside prominent Cuban artists like Eduardo Abela and Marcelo Pogolotti.
Had her first solo exhibition in Havana (date unconfirmed).
Daughter, Santillana, was born in 1926 but tragically died of diphtheria the following year.
Returned to the United States with her second daughter, Isabella Lillian (Isabetta), in 1927.
Carlos Enríquez left for Cuba, taking Isabetta with him.
Suffered a nervous breakdown and attempted suicide following these losses.
Hospitalized and placed in the suicide ward of Philadelphia General Hospital.
Returned to her parents' home after being deemed stable in 1931.
Later relationships were tumultuous, resulting in two more children.
Style: Expressionistic use of line and color; psychological acuity; emotional intensity.
Subject Matter: Primarily portraits of friends, family, lovers, poets, artists, and strangers.
Themes: Motherhood, loss, anxiety, the human condition, social commentary.
Notable works include "Well Baby Clinic," a bleak portrayal of mothers and babies in a maternity clinic.
Her portraits often challenged traditional depictions of women, employing a female gaze to illustrate their awareness of objectification.
Initially overlooked during the rise of Abstract Expressionism.
Gained significant critical recognition in the 1970s.
Received a National Women’s Caucus for Art award from President Jimmy Carter in 1979.
Called "one of the greatest portrait artists of the 20th century" by Barry Walker, curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
A retrospective exhibition of her work was organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in 2010.
Her work continues to be celebrated for its honesty, psychological depth, and powerful depictions of human experience.
Died: October 13, 1984.
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Look closely
Untitled (698) — Alice Neel
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