Explore Alice Neel’s relationship with queer culture and the vivid portraits of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer subjects she painted in the 1970s, including artist Jackie Curtis and poet Adrienne Rich. Learn how Neel’s portraits coincided with the gay liberation movement, contributed to increasing queer visibility, and used visual puns as a means of encoding queer sexual identity and desire.
Alice Neel and Gay Liberation
Explore Alice Neel’s relationship with queer culture and her vivid portraits of LGBTQIA+ subjects, including artist Jackie Curtis and poet Adrienne Rich.
Randall Griffey
31 min. watch
Contributors
Randall Griffey
Curator, Department of Modern and Contemporary Art
Curator, Department of Modern and Contemporary Art
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Art Mentioned
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Alice Neel
1938
Alice Neel
1978
Alice Neel
1970
Alice Neel
1970
Alice Neel
1932
Alice Neel
1970
Alice Neel
1972
Alice Neel
1973
Alice Neel
1977
Alice Neel
1973