Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Randall in Extremis
Alice Neel American
Not on view
The distress of the subject is palpable in this portrait of an artist Neel knew as Randall. Harrell Randall Bailey also worked for several decades as a security guard at The Met. Although his specific ailment is unknown, Neel recognized with deep sympathy the toll that physical and psychological traumas could take on the human body. The effects and intensity of his suffering are evident in the flared nostrils, furrowed brow, and open mouth of his gaunt face that Neel renders in short, sharp daubs of paint. While the rest of the composition is looser, the long sweeping strokes that describe the wiry hands and the oversized coat that engulfs his frail body serve to heighten the agitation of the scene.
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