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Alice Neel
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Alice Neel: Painted Truths Hardcover – April 20, 2010

by Barry Walker (Author), Jeremy Lewison (Author), Robert Storr (Author),
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 53 ratings
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Spanning nearly seven decades, a comprehensive consideration of the psychologically acute and surprisingly honest portraits of Alice Neel

Widely regarded as one of the most important American painters of the 20th century, Alice Neel is internationally recognized for her contributions to Abstract Expressionism, especially her perceptive portraiture. Neel (1900–1984) was a portrait painter at a time when this was traditionally the role of a male artist. After ascending to prominence in the 1960s as the feminist movement gained momentum, she has remained an iconic figure in the history of American painting.

A self-proclaimed “collector of souls,” Neel often painted friends and family, as well as the celebrated artists and writers of her day, such as Andy Warhol, Frank O’Hara, and Meyer Shapiro, delving into personalities and idiosyncrasies with a rare frankness. Alice Neel: Painted Truths brings together paintings that demonstrate Neel’s range and ability, along with insightful commentary from four leading art historians. Although the book focuses on her portraits, it also covers the artist’s early social realist paintings and cityscapes, tracing the evolution of Neel’s style and examining themes that she revisited throughout her career.



Published in association with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston


Exhibition Schedule:

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (March 21 – June 13, 2010)

Whitechapel Gallery, London (July 9 – September 19, 2010)

Moderna Museet, Malmö, Sweden (October 10, 2010 – January 2, 2011)

Previous page
  1. Print length
    306 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Yale University Press
  4. Publication date
    April 20, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    10.25 x 1.5 x 11.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0300163320
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0300163322
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the most interesting aspects of this volume is the inclusion of a series of reflections on voices, testifying to the continued relevance of Neel’s work, renders an already outstanding collection truly superb."—S.L. Hoglund, Choice



"A penetrating look at the portraits. . . . Lavishly illustrated. . . . Will be essential reading for anyone interested in her career. . . . There is plenty here to engage both the eye and the brain. While the paintings still might be unsettling, the materials presented here will go along way to helping us understand them."—Pamela Simpson, Woman's Art Journal

About the Author

Barry Walker is the curator of modern and contemporary art and prints and drawings at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. As the director of Jeremy Lewison Ltd., Jeremy Lewison is a curator and advisor to the Estate of Alice Neel. Robert Storr is an artist, curator, and critic, as well as the dean of the Yale School of Art. Tamar Garb is the Durning Lawrence Professor in the History of Art at University College London.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press; First Edition (April 20, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 306 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0300163320
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0300163322
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.51 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.25 x 1.5 x 11.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 53 ratings

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Alice Neel

Alice Neel

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
53 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Robert Landis
5.0 out of 5 stars An essential art book
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2020
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Alice Neel’s penetrating deeply psychological portraits are immediately recognizable. This book is essential in the canon of American artists. If you can’t own your own Alice Neel painting ( and who can) this book will allow you to (sort of) experience those quietly at home. A fantastic book, and one of my favorites.
2 people found this helpful
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Nancy J. Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars Well done
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2018
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This book is one of the best art books I've read. I have many art books and I can make that claim of only a few. The photos are excellent. The descriptions and analysis of individual paintings is helpful for painters. The cross referencing of paintings and comparison to historical examples of similar paintings is really good. I loved this book and only wish other art books were created as excellent. Yale University Press is great!
9 people found this helpful
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matt's amazon account
5.0 out of 5 stars Not comprehensive but still great
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2018
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Great quality prints. Well organized layout. Seems to be kind of a companion to the uptown book in that there is very little overlap.
4 people found this helpful
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Doorbell29
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Book
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2019
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Love the illustrations--;lots of them. She was an awesome painter. I use it as a reference for portraits I paint.
4 people found this helpful
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Carol Athey
5.0 out of 5 stars Alice Neel spoke to me.
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2013
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I attended this exhibit in 2010 at the MFAH and really enjoyed her work, This summer I went to Washington DC and Boston and saw more of her work and knew I had to have the MFAH exhibit book. Now I can enjoy her work anytime.
4 people found this helpful
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Wimberley
4.0 out of 5 stars wonderful Paintings
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2010
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As always, Alice Neel's figurative portraits reveal the inner soul of her models as well as herself. Sometimes awkwardly painted but always truthful, Alice Neel gets to the angst of her sitters. The essays in the book are very interesting and I wish that I could see the exhibit.
8 people found this helpful
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Jim C.
5.0 out of 5 stars You Are Going to Like It
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2015
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OMG, this book is great! I haven't even read a little of this book, but it's already not leaving me until I finish it all...over and over. This book is printed magnificently, the pages each a treasure.
4 people found this helpful
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Desertwriter
5.0 out of 5 stars Alice Neel one of America's greatest 20th century painters
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2013
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a magnificent collection of Neel's works....unfortunately I did not learn about her art until after her death
--and ignoring her life and work was a huge disservice to western culture and Americans specifically. this
collection is a standout publication...thank to Barry Walker AND the MFA Houston
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Livro fantástico
Reviewed in Brazil on October 3, 2019
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As pinturas de Alice Neel remetem a uma
verdade interior.
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beatriz
5.0 out of 5 stars Gran retratista
Reviewed in Spain on July 18, 2019
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Un libro imprescindible para conocer y profundizar en la obra de esta gran pintora.
Uso: trabajo de investigación.
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Chuck Eelhart
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book.
Reviewed in Canada on April 25, 2015
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Excellent book. It is actually a companion catalog for a show of Nee'ls work at Huston Museum of fine art in 2010. This is a high quality hard cover book with a detailed history of the artist and 67 full color plates of paintings exhibited including the story behind each piece. Not a cheap book but worth the price paid.
2 people found this helpful
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KTS
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 17, 2016
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Very good product. Thank you.
2 people found this helpful
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JetsonJoe
5.0 out of 5 stars If you like this artist
Reviewed in Canada on November 10, 2015
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If you like this artist...buy this book. Well done and reproductions excellent. Shame she is only now getting so much attention but could not turn a head while alive. But was she ever dedicated to her work...Excellent.
One person found this helpful
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