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Alice Neel: People Come First

Watch American artist Alice Neel (1900–1984) speak about her painting and activism.

Watch American artist Alice Neel (1900–1984) speak about her painting and activism. Alice Neel: People Come First, on view at The Met from March 22–August 1, 2021, is Neel’s first museum retrospective in New York in 20 years. This ambitious survey of over 100 paintings, drawings, and watercolors highlights one of the century’s most radical painters and a champion of social justice.

The exhibition is made possible by the
Barrie A. and Deedee Wigmore Foundation.

Major support is provided by the
Adrienne Arsht Fund for Resilience through Art.

Additional funding is provided by
Angela A. Chao and Jim Breyer, Agnes Gund,
and the Jane and Robert Carroll Fund.

It is organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art
in association with the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
and The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.


Credits:

Managing Producer: Kate Farrell
Producer: Will Fenstermaker
Production Coordinator: Isabella Garces
Editor: Stephanie Wuertz
Social Editor: Lela Jenkins
Original Music: Austin Fisher

All artworks and photographs © The Estate of Alice Neel

Footage from “Alice Neel: They Are Their Own Gifts”
Courtesy of Lucille Roades and Margaret Murphy

© 2021 The Metropolitan Museum of Art


Contributors

Alice Neel
Artist

Close-up of a Queen of Clubs playing card with a cut-out section. Behind it, a faded, ghostly face is visible, creating a surreal, mysterious mood.
The artist’s work challenges the social and political context of mass incarceration.
Lisa Sutcliffe
April 28
Close up of ocean debris, including shells and rocks, against glittering black sand.
Audio
The archaeology of rubbish.
August 13, 2024
Detail of lacquered tray with scenes from Virgil’s Aeneid. The section depicts figures fighting on horseback, ships at sea, and ornate floral motifs.
Audio
Beyond superfoods and infomercials.
July 30, 2024
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